different between dispel vs diffuse

English

Etymology

From Middle English dispelen, from Latin dispellere (“to disperse; to dispel”).

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: di?spel
• Rhymes: -?l
• IPA^(key): [d??sp??]

Verb

dispel (third-person singular simple present dispels, present participle dispelling, simple past and past participle dispelled)

1. (transitive) To drive away or cause to vanish by scattering.
2. (transitive) To remove (fears, doubts, objections etc.) by proving them unjustified.

   • It was April 22, 1831, and a young man was walking down Whitehall in the direction of Parliament Street. […]. He halted opposite the Privy Gardens, and, with his face turned skywards, listened until the sound of the Tower guns smote again on the ear and dispelled his doubts.

Usage notes

• Common nouns collocating with "dispel": cloud, vapors, cares, doubts, illusions, objections.

Translations

Noun

dispel (plural dispels)

1. An act or instance of dispelling.
   • 2008, Caitlin Kittredge, Night Life

     “My dispel didn't work,” she said finally. “He wasn't a blood witch, Sunny,” I said.

Related terms

• dispulsion

Anagrams

• Spidle, diples, disple, lisped, pleids, spiled

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