dif·fuse (d -fy z )v. dif·fused, dif·fus·ing, dif·fus·es v.tr. 1. To pour out and cause to spread freely. 2. To spread about or scatter; disseminate. 3. To make less brilliant; soften. v.intr. 1. To become widely dispersed; spread out. 2. Physics To undergo diffusion. adj. (d -fys)1. Widely spread or scattered; not concentrated. 2. Characterized by verbosity; wordy. See Synonyms at wordy. [From Middle English, dispersed, from Anglo-Norman diffus, from Latin diff  sus, past participle of diffundere, to spread : dis-, out, apart; see dis- + fundere, to pour; see gheu- in Indo-European roots.]dif·fuse ly (-fysl ) adv.dif·fuse ness (-fysns) n. |
diffuse
vb [dɪˈfjuːz]
1. to spread or cause to spread in all directions
2. (Physics / General Physics) to undergo or cause to undergo diffusion
3. to scatter or cause to scatter; disseminate; disperse
adj [dɪˈfjuːs]
1. spread out over a wide area
2. lacking conciseness
3. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Botany) (esp of some creeping stems) spreading loosely over a large area
4. (Physics / General Physics) characterized by or exhibiting diffusion diffuse light diffuse reflection
5. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Botany) Botany (of plant growth) occurring throughout a tissue
[from Latin diffūsus spread abroad, from diffundere to pour forth, from dis- away + fundere to pour]
diffusely [dɪˈfjuːslɪ] adv
diffuseness n
diffusible [dɪˈfjuːzəbəl] adj
diffusibility , diffusibleness n
Usage: Avoid confusion with defuse
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Verb | 1. | diffuse - move outward; "The soldiers fanned out" spread, distribute - distribute or disperse widely; "The invaders spread their language all over the country" percolate - spread gradually; "Light percolated into our house in the morning" creep - grow or spread, often in such a way as to cover (a surface); "ivy crept over the walls of the university buildings" mantle - spread over a surface, like a mantle |
| 2. | diffuse - spread or diffuse through; "An atmosphere of distrust has permeated this administration"; "music penetrated the entire building"; "His campaign was riddled with accusations and personal attacks" | |
| 3. | diffuse - cause to become widely known; "spread information"; "circulate a rumor"; "broadcast the news" disseminate, pass around, circulate, broadcast, circularise, circularize, spread, disperse, propagate, distribute podcast - distribute (multimedia files) over the internet for playback on a mobile device or a personal computer sow - introduce into an environment; "sow suspicion or beliefs" circulate, go around, spread - become widely known and passed on; "the rumor spread"; "the story went around in the office" popularise, popularize, vulgarise, vulgarize, generalise, generalize - cater to popular taste to make popular and present to the general public; bring into general or common use; "They popularized coffee in Washington State"; "Relativity Theory was vulgarized by these authors" | |
| Adj. | 1. | diffuse - spread out; not concentrated in one place; "a large diffuse organization" distributed - spread out or scattered about or divided up |
| 2. | diffuse - (of light) transmitted from a broad light source or reflected | |
| 3. | diffuse - lacking conciseness; "a diffuse historical novel" prolix - tediously prolonged or tending to speak or write at great length; "editing a prolix manuscript"; "a prolix lecturer telling you more than you want to know" |
diffuse
verb
spread, distribute, scatter, circulate, disperse, dispense, dispel, dissipate, propagate, disseminate Our aim is to diffuse new ideas obtained from elsewhere.
adjective
2. rambling, loose, vague, meandering, waffling (informal), long-winded, wordy, discursive, verbose, prolix, maundering, digressive, diffusive, circumlocutory His writing is so diffuse that it is almost impossible to understand.
rambling brief, to the point, concise, terse, succinct, apposite, compendious
rambling brief, to the point, concise, terse, succinct, apposite, compendious
Usage: This word is quite commonly misused instead of defuse, when talking about calming down a situation. However, the words are very different in meaning and should never be used as alternatives to each other.
Translations
diffuse
A. [dɪˈfjuːs] ADJ (= spread out) [light] → difuso; (= long-winded) [style, writer] → difuso, prolijo
B. [dɪˈfjuːz] VT [+ light] → difundir; [+ heat] → difundir, esparcir; [+ information, ideas] → difundir
C. [dɪˈfjuːz] VI [heat, gas] → difundirse, esparcirse
diffuse
vt light, heat, gas, rays → ausstrahlen, verbreiten; fluid → ausgießen, ausschütten; (Chem) → diffundieren, verwischen; perfume → verbreiten, verströmen; (fig) knowledge, custom, news → verbreiten; tension → verringern, abbauen
vi → ausstrahlen, sich ver- or ausbreiten; (fluid) → sich ausbreiten; (Chem) → diffundieren, sich verwischen; (perfume, odour) → ausströmen; (fig, custom, news) → sich verbreiten; (tension) → sich verringern
adj
gas, rays, light → diffus; feeling → undeutlich, vage
(= verbose) style, writer → langatmig, weitschweifig
diffuse [ɐvb dɪˈfjuːz; ɐadj dɪˈfjuːs]
diffuse [ɐvb dɪˈfjuːz; ɐadj dɪˈfjuːs]
1. vt (light, heat, gas, information) → diffondere; (heat, perfume) → emanare
2. vi → diffondersi
3. adj (light) → diffuso/a; (style, writing) → prolisso/a; (organization) → ramificato/a
diffuse [ɐvb dɪˈfjuːz; ɐadj dɪˈfjuːs]
1. vt (light, heat, gas, information) → diffondere; (heat, perfume) → emanare
2. vi → diffondersi
3. adj (light) → diffuso/a; (style, writing) → prolisso/a; (organization) → ramificato/a
v diffuse [diˈfjuːz]
to (cause to) spread in all directions. versprei يَنْشُر разпространявам rozptýlit (se) sprede; udbrede zerstreuen διαχέω difundir(se) levitama پخش کردن؛ پراکنده کردن levitä (se) diffuser, (se) répandre לְפָזֵר फैलाना, छितराना, फैला हुआ rasprostirati se, širiti se áraszt menyebar dreifa diffondere 広める 퍼지게 하다 sklisti, (iš)sklaidyti izplatīt; izplatīties; izkliedēt menyebarkan (zich) verspreiden spre (for alle vinder) rozprzestrzeniać się difundir a (se) difuza, a (se) răspândi распространять(ся) rozptýliť sa razpršiti (se) rasprostirati se sprida[], sprida sig แพร่กระจาย yaymak 使擴散 розповсюджувати; поширювати منتشر کرنا phổ biến 使扩散
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