diffuse

[verb dih-fyooz; adjective dih-fyoos]

See more synonyms for diffuse on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), dif·fused, dif·fusing.

to pour out and spread, as a fluid.
to spread or scatter widely or thinly; disseminate.
Physics. to spread by diffusion.

verb (used without object), dif·fused, dif·fusing.

to spread.
Physics. to intermingle by diffusion.

adjective

characterized by great length or discursiveness in speech or writing; wordy.
widely spread or scattered; dispersed.
Botany. widely or loosely spreading.
Optics. (of reflected light) scattered, as from a rough surface (opposed to specular).

Origin of diffuse

1350–1400; Middle English (< Anglo-French) < Latin diffūsus spread, poured forth. See dif-, fuse²

Related formsdif·fuse·ly

[dih-fyoos-lee] /dɪˈfyus li/, adverbdif·fuse·ness, nounin·ter·dif·fuse, verb, in·ter·dif·fused, in·ter·dif·fus·ing.non·dif·fuse, adjectivenon·dif·fused, adjectivenon·dif·fus·ing, adjectiveo·ver·dif·fuse, verb, o·ver·dif·fused, o·ver·dif·fus·ing, adjectiveo·ver·dif·fuse·ly, adverbo·ver·dif·fuse·ness, nounre·dif·fuse, verb, re·dif·fused, re·dif·fus·ing.un·dif·fused, adjectivewell-dif·fused, adjective

Can be confuseddefuse diffuse

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for diffusely

secondhand, diffusely

Examples from the Web for diffusely

Historical Examples of diffusely

Is memory made apt and extensive or narrow and diffusely irrelevant?
Human Nature and Conduct
John Dewey
A grim tale finely (perhaps just a little too diffusely) told and admirably presented.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 158, March 3rd, 1920
Various
The mucous membrane of the pharynx will be diffusely red or purplish and shiny.
A System of Practical Medicine By American Authors, Vol. II
Various
He spoke for five and a half hours, much too diffusely, spinning out what he might have said in half the time.
The Greville Memoirs (Third Part) Volume I (of II)
Charles Cavendish Fulke Greville
Ill-smelling, resinous shrubs, four to ten feet high; diffusely branched.
The Wild Flowers of California: Their Names, Haunts, and Habits
Mary Elizabeth Parsons

British Dictionary definitions for diffusely

diffuse

verb (dɪˈfjuːz)

to spread or cause to spread in all directions
to undergo or cause to undergo diffusion
to scatter or cause to scatter; disseminate; disperse

adjective (dɪˈfjuːs)

spread out over a wide area
lacking conciseness
(esp of some creeping stems) spreading loosely over a large area
characterized by or exhibiting diffusiondiffuse light; diffuse reflection
botany (of plant growth) occurring throughout a tissue

Derived Formsdiffusely (dɪˈfjuːslɪ), adverbdiffuseness, noundiffusible (dɪˈfjuːzəbəl), adjectivediffusibility or diffusibleness, noun

Word Origin for diffuse

C15: from Latin diffūsus spread abroad, from diffundere to pour forth, from dis- away + fundere to pour

confusable

Avoid confusion with defuse

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for diffusely

diffuse

1520s (transitive), 1650s (intransitive), from Latin diffusus, past participle of diffundere "to pour out or away" (see diffusion). Related: Diffused; diffusing.

diffuse

adj.

early 15c., from Latin diffusus (see diffuse (v.)).

diffusely in Medicine

diffuse

[dĭ-fyōōs′]

adj.

Not limited to one tissue or location; widespread.

To spread or to be spread widely, as through a tissue.

Related formsdif•fus′i•ble (-fyōō′zə-bəl) adj.