disperse
[ dih-spurs ]
/ dɪˈspɜrs /
verb (used with object), dis·persed, dis·pers·ing.
verb (used without object), dis·persed, dis·pers·ing.
to separate and move apart in different directions without order or regularity; become scattered: The crowd dispersed.
to be dispelled; be scattered out of sight; vanish: The smoke dispersed into the sky.
adjective
Physical Chemistry. noting the dispersed particles in a dispersion.
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Origin of disperse
1350–1400; Middle English dispersen, disparsen (< Middle French disperser) < Latin dispersus (past participle of dispergere), equivalent to di- di-2 + -sper(g)- scatter (stem of -spergere, combining form of spargere to scatter, strew) + -sus past participle suffix
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Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
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British Dictionary definitions for disperse
disperse
/ (dɪˈspɜːs) /
verb
adjective
of or consisting of the particles in a colloid or suspensiondisperse phase
Derived forms of disperse
dispersedly (dɪˈspɜːsɪdlɪ), adverbdisperser, nounWord Origin for disperse
C14: from Latin dispērsus scattered, from dispergere to scatter widely, from di- ² + spargere to strew
undefined disperse
See disburse
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Medical definitions for disperse
disperse
[ dĭ-spûrs′ ]
v.
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.