effuse

[ verb ih-fyooz; adjective ih-fyoos ]

See synonyms for effuse on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),ef·fused, ef·fus·ing.

to pour out or forth; shed; disseminate: The town effuses warmth and hospitality.

verb (used without object),ef·fused, ef·fus·ing.

to exude; flow out.
Physics. (of a gas) to flow through a very small orifice.

adjective

scattered; profuse.
Botany. spread out loosely.

(of certain shells) having the lips separated by a gap or groove.

Origin of effuse

1350–1400; Middle English <Latin effūs(us) (past participle of effundere) poured out, equivalent to ef-ef- + fūsus poured (see fuse²)

Other words from effuse

un·ef·fused, adjective
un·ef·fus·ing, adjective

Words Nearby effuse

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use effuse in a sentence

I depart as air ... I shake my locks at the runaway sun, I effuse my flesh in eddies and drift it in lacy jags.
A Eulogy for Marie Colvin | Katrina Heron | March 14, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
Outer lip thick, effuse, slightly reflected below, and contracted above.
Zoological Illustrations, Volume I | William Swainson
Aperture above pointed, externally straight, below rounded, widened or effuse.
Zoological Illustrations, Volume I | William Swainson
Shell coniform, broad; aperture effuse, tumid callosity on the inner lip large, and spreading over the spire.
Zoological Illustrations, Volume I | William Swainson
Outer lip crenulated, or toothed: Aperture at the base effuse, smooth within, and destitute of an internal groove.
Zoological Illustrations, or Original Figures and Descriptions. Volume II, Second Series | William Swainson

British Dictionary definitions for effuse

effuse

verb(ɪˈfjuːz)

to pour or flow out
to spread out; diffuse

(intr) to talk profusely, esp in an excited manner
to cause (a gas) to flow or (of a gas) to flow under pressure

adjective(ɪˈfjuːs)

botany (esp of an inflorescence) spreading out loosely

Origin of effuse

C16: from Latin effūsus poured out, from effundere to shed, from fundere to pour

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

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