different between diffuse vs circumlocution

English

Etymology 1

From Middle French diffuser, from Latin diff?sus, past participle of diffundere, from dis- + fundere

Pronunciation

• enPR: d?fyo?oz'
• (UK) IPA^(key): /d??fju?z/
• (US) IPA^(key): /d??fjuz/
• Rhymes: -u?z
• Homophone: defuse

Verb

diffuse (third-person singular simple present diffuses, present participle diffusing, simple past and past participle diffused)

1. (transitive) To spread over or through as in air, water, or other matter, especially by fluid motion or passive means.
   • 1837, William Whewell, History of the Inductive Sciences

     We find this knowledge diffused among all civilized nations.

2. (intransitive) To be spread over or through as in air, water, or other matter, especially by fluid motion or passive means.

   Food coloring diffuses in water.

   The riot diffused quite suddenly.

Usage notes

The words diffuse and defuse are sometimes confused.

Synonyms

• forspread

Derived terms

• diffuser

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English *diffuse (attested in adverb diffuseli), from Latin diff?sus.

Pronunciation

• enPR: d?fyo?os'
• (UK) IPA^(key): /d??fju?s/
• (US) IPA^(key): /d??fjus/
• Rhymes: -u?s

Adjective

diffuse (comparative more diffuse, superlative most diffuse)

1. Everywhere or throughout everything; not focused or concentrated.

   Such a diffuse effort is unlikely to produce good results.

2. Wordy; verbose.

Synonyms

• (not concentrated): spread out, thin; see also Thesaurus:diffuse
• (verbose): palaverous, prolix; see also Thesaurus:verbose

Derived terms

• diffusely

Translations

Related terms

• diffusion

References

• diffuse in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

Anagrams

• Duffies

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /di.fyz/

Verb

diffuse

1. inflection of diffuser:
   1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. second-person singular imperative

Adjective

diffuse

1. feminine singular of diffus

German

Adjective

diffuse

1. inflection of diffus:
   1. strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
   2. strong nominative/accusative plural
   3. weak nominative all-gender singular
   4. weak accusative feminine/neuter singular

Italian

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -uze

Verb

diffuse

1. third-person singular past historic of diffondere

Participle

diffuse

1. feminine plural of diffuso

Adjective

diffuse

1. feminine plural of diffuso

Latin

Etymology

From diff?sus (“scattered, spread”)

Adverb

diff?s? (comparative diff?sius, superlative diff?sissim?)

1. diffusely, in a scattered manner.
2. copiously, fully

Related terms

• diff?sus

References

• diffuse in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, 1st edition. (Oxford University Press)

Norwegian Bokmål

Adjective

diffuse

1. definite singular of diffus
2. plural of diffus

Norwegian Nynorsk

Adjective

diffuse

1. definite singular of diffus
2. plural of diffus

English

Etymology

From Latin circumloc?ti? (“the act of speaking around; circumlocution, periphrasis”). Surface analysis circum- (“around”) +? locution (“talk”), thus "getting around (a problem) in speaking or writing". Probably a calque of Ancient Greek ?????????? (períphrasis, “periphrasis”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?s??k?ml??kju???n/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?s?k?ml??kju??n/
• Rhymes: -u???n
• Hyphenation: cir?cum?lo?cu?tion

Noun

circumlocution (countable and uncountable, plural circumlocutions)

1. (uncountable) A roundabout or indirect way of speaking; thus:
   1. (uncountable) Unnecessary use of extra words to express an idea, such as a pleonastic phrase (sometimes driven by an attempt at emphatic clarity) or a wordy substitution (the latter driven by euphemistic intent, pedagogic intent, or sometimes loquaciousness alone).
   2. (uncountable) Necessary use of a phrase to circumvent either a vocabulary fault (of speaker or listener) or a lexical gap, either monolingually or in translation.

2. (countable) An instance of such usage; a roundabout expression, whether an inadvisable one or a necessary one.

Synonyms

• periphrasis
• ambages

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• beat around the bush
• go around the houses
• euphemism
• mince words, mince matters
• equivocation (the use of expressions susceptible of a double signification, possibly intentionally and with the aim of misleading)
• evasive (tending to avoid speaking openly or making revelations about oneself)
• prevarication (evasion of the truth; deceit, evasiveness)
• hedge (to avoid verbal commitment)
• waffle (to speak or write vaguely and evasively; to speak or write at length without any clear point or aim)