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disperse - 7 dictionary results
dis⋅perse
[di-spurs]
verb, -persed, -pers⋅ing, adjective –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
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⋅er, noun
dis⋅pers⋅i⋅bil⋅i⋅ty, noun
dis⋅pers⋅i⋅ble, adjective
Antonyms:
1. combine, collect.
1. combine, collect.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To disperse
dis·perse (dĭ-spûrs') v. dis·persed, dis·pers·ing, dis·pers·es v. tr.
[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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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
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
- To cause to separate and move in different directions; scatter.
- 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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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2009, Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.

