diffusion

[dih-fyoo-zhuh n]

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noun

act of diffusing; state of being diffused.

prolixity of speech or writing; discursiveness.

Physics.

Also called migration.an intermingling of molecules, ions, etc., resulting from random thermal agitation, as in the dispersion of a vapor in air.
a reflection or refraction of light or other electromagnetic radiation from an irregular surface or an erratic dispersion through a surface; scattering.

Movies. a soft-focus effect resulting from placing a gelatin or silk plate in front of a studio light or a camera lens, or through the use of diffusion filters.

Meteorology. the spreading of atmospheric constituents or properties by turbulent motion as well as molecular motion of the air.

Anthropology, Sociology. Also called cultural diffusion. the transmission of elements or features of one culture to another.

Origin of diffusion

1325–75; Middle English < Latin diffūsiōn- (stem of diffūsiō) a spreading out, equivalent to diffūs(us) (see diffuse) + -iōn- -ion

Related formsin·ter·dif·fu·sion, nounnon·dif·fu·sion, nouno·ver·dif·fu·sion, nounre·dif·fu·sion, nounself-dif·fu·sion, noun

Can be confuseddiffraction diffusion reflection rarefaction refraction

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for diffusion

dissipation, dispersion, dispersal, dissemination, propagation, scattering, circulation, expansion, propaganda

Examples from the Web for diffusion

Contemporary Examples of diffusion

The diffusion of information sources, social media chief among them, simply makes that harder to do.
Could Social Media Blow Special Operations Like the Failed Foley Rescue?
Jacob Siegel
August 23, 2014
At this critical moment, this diffusion of attention is potentially crippling.
Satellites Correctly Predict Military Campaign Against Civilians in Sudan
Akshaya Kumar
December 9, 2013
Thom Browne, known for his tricolor stripes and short-suits, will soon launch a diffusion collection called Thom Grey.
Mary-Kate Olsen Moves In; 20,000 Pairs of Fake Louboutins Seized
The Daily Beast
August 17, 2012

Historical Examples of diffusion

Like man, he must have a purpose; and his purpose is the diffusion of that goodness or good which he himself is.
Timaeus
Plato
The soft layers are porous, and permit the diffusion of the acid from plate to plate.
The Automobile Storage Battery
O. A. Witte
It is not merely education that makes civilization, but diffusion of education.
The History of Woman Suffrage, Volume IV
Various
All of them would be smothered and starved to death as soon as diffusion ceased.
Common Science
Carleton W. Washburne
It is seeking to combat disease in its centers of diffusion.
The Ethics of Coperation
James Hayden Tufts

British Dictionary definitions for diffusion

diffusion

noun

the act or process of diffusing or being diffused; dispersion

verbosity

physics

the random thermal motion of atoms, molecules, clusters of atoms, etc, in gases, liquids, and some solids
the transfer of atoms or molecules by their random motion from one part of a medium to another

physics the transmission or reflection of electromagnetic radiation, esp light, in which the radiation is scattered in many directions and not directly reflected or refracted; scattering

Also called: diffusivity physics the degree to which the directions of propagation of reverberant sound waves differ from point to point in an enclosure

anthropol the transmission of social institutions, skills, and myths from one culture to another

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 diffusion

late 14c., from Latin diffusionem (nominative diffusio) "a pouring forth," noun of action from past participle stem of diffundere "scatter, pour out," from dis- "apart, in every direction" (see dis-) + fundere "pour" (see found (v.2)).

diffusion in Medicine

diffusion

[dĭ-fyōō′zhən]

n.

The process of diffusing or the condition of being diffused.

The spontaneous intermingling of the particles of two or more substances as a result of random thermal motion.

dialysis

diffusion in Science

diffusion

[dĭ-fyōō′zhən]

The movement of atoms or molecules from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration. Atoms and small molecules can move across a cell membrane by diffusion. Compare osmosis.

The reflection or refraction of radiation such as light or sound by an irregular surface, tending to scatter it in many directions.

diffusion in Culture

diffusion

The spreading of atoms or molecules of one substance through those of another, especially into liquids or gases.