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disperse - 7 dictionary results

dis⋅perse

  [di-spurs] verb, -persed, -pers⋅ing, adjective
Use disperse in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to drive or send off in various directions; scatter: to disperse a crowd.
2. to spread widely; disseminate: to disperse knowledge.
3. to dispel; cause to vanish: The wind dispersed the fog.
4. Physical Chemistry. to cause (particles) to separate uniformly throughout a solid, liquid, or gas.
5. Optics. to subject (light) to dispersion.
–verb (used without object)
6. to separate and move apart in different directions without order or regularity; become scattered: The crowd dispersed.
7. to be dispelled; be scattered out of sight; vanish: The smoke dispersed into the sky.
–adjective
8. Physical Chemistry. noting the dispersed particles in a dispersion.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME dispersen, disparsen (< MF disperser) < L dispersus (ptp. of dispergere), equiv. to di- di- 2 + -sper(g)- scatter (s. of -spergere, comb. form of spargere to scatter, strew) + -sus ptp. suffix

Related forms:
dis⋅pers⋅ed⋅ly  [di-spur-sid-lee] , adverb
dis⋅pers⋅er, noun
dis⋅pers⋅i⋅bil⋅i⋅ty, noun
dis⋅pers⋅i⋅ble, adjective

Synonyms:
1. See scatter. 2. sow, broadcast. 7. disappear, evanesce.

Antonyms:
1. combine, collect.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To disperse
dis·perse   (dĭ-spûrs')   
v.   dis·persed, dis·pers·ing, dis·pers·es

v.   tr.
    1. To drive off or scatter in different directions: The police dispersed the crowd.
    2. To strew or distribute widely: The airplane dispersed the leaflets over the city.
  2. To cause to vanish or disappear. See Synonyms at scatter.
  3. To disseminate (knowledge, for example).
  4. To separate (light) into spectral rays.
  5. To distribute (particles) evenly throughout a medium.
v.   intr.
  1. To separate and move in different directions; scatter: The crowd dispersed once the concert ended.
  2. To break up and vanish; dissipate: The storm clouds had dispersed by noon.

[Middle English dispersen, from Old French disperser, from Latin dispergere, dispers-, to disperse : dis-, apart; see dis- + spargere, to scatter.]
dis·pers'ed·ly (-spûr'sĭd-lē) adv., dis·pers'er n., dis·pers'i·ble adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Disperse

Dis*perse"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Dispersed; p. pr. & vb. n. Dispersing.] [L. dispersus, p. p. of dispergere to strew, scatter. See Sparse.]

1. To scatter abroad; to drive to different parts; to distribute; to diffuse; to spread; as, the Jews are dispersed among all nations.

The lips of the wise disperse knowledge. --Prov. xv. 7.

Two lions, in the still, dark night, A herd of beeves disperse. --Cowper.

2. To scatter, so as to cause to vanish; to dissipate; as, to disperse vapors.

Dispersed are the glories. --Shak.

Syn: To scatter; dissipate; dispel; spread; diffuse; distribute; deal out; disseminate.

Disperse

Dis*perse"\, v. i. 1. To separate; to go or move into different parts; to vanish; as, the company dispersed at ten o'clock; the clouds disperse.

2. To distribute wealth; to share one's abundance with others.

He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor. --Ps. cxii. 9.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : disperse
Spanish: dispersarse, diseminarse,
German: zerstreuen,
Japanese: 散らす
More Translations »

disperse 
c.1450, from M.Fr. disperser "scatter," from L. dispersus, pp. of dispergere "to scatter," from dis- "apart, in every direction" + spargere "to scatter" (see sparse). The L. word is glossed in O.E. by tostregdan.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: dis·perse
Pronunciation: dis-'p&rs
Function: verb
Inflected Forms: dis·persed; dis·pers·ing
transitive senses
: to spread or distribute from a fixed or constant source: as a : to subject (as light) to dispersion b : to distribute (as fineparticles) more or less evenly throughout a medium disperse intransitive senses
: to become dispersed
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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disperse dis·perse (dĭ-spûrs')
v. dis·persed, dis·pers·ing, dis·pers·es

  1. To cause to separate and move in different directions; scatter.
  2. To cause to vanish or disappear.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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