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disperse

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disperse

One entry found.

Main Entry: dis·perse

Pronunciation: \di-ˈspərs\

Function: verb

Inflected Form(s): dis·persed; dis·pers·ing

Etymology: Middle English, from Latin dispersus, past participle of dispergere to scatter, from dis- + spargere to scatter — more at spark

Date: 14th century

transitive verb 1 a : to cause to break up <police dispersed the crowd> b : to cause to become spread widely c : to cause to evaporate or vanish <sunlight dispersing the mist>
2 : to spread or distribute from a fixed or constant source: as a archaic : disseminate b : to subject (as light) to dispersion c : to distribute (as fine particles) more or less evenly throughout a medium intransitive verb 1 : to break up in random fashion <the crowd dispersed on request>
2 a : to become dispersed b : dissipate, vanish <the fog dispersed toward morning>

synonyms see scatter

— dis·persed·ly \-ˈspər-səd-lē, -ˈspərst-lē\ adverb

— dis·pers·er noun

— dis·pers·ible \-ˈspər-sə-bəl\ adjective

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