Adjacent Words

Diffuse definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

DIFFUSE, v.t. diffuze. [L., to pour, to spread.]
1. To pour out and spread, as a fluid; to cause to flow and spread.
The river rose and diffused its waters over the adjacent plain.
2. To spread; to send out or extend in all directions; to disperse. Flowers diffuse their odors. The fame of Washington is diffused over Europe. The knowledge of the true God will be diffused over the earth.
DIFFUSE, a.
1. Widely spread; dispersed.
2. Copious; prolix; using many words; giving full descriptions; as, Livy is a diffuse writer.
3. Copious; verbose; containing full or particular accounts; concise; as a diffuse style.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: spread out; not concentrated in one place; "a large diffuse organization"
2: (of light) transmitted from a broad light source or reflected [syn: soft, diffuse, diffused] [ant: concentrated, hard]
3: lacking conciseness; "a diffuse historical novel" v
1: move outward; "The soldiers fanned out" [syn: diffuse, spread, spread out, fan out]
2: 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" [syn: permeate, pervade, penetrate, interpenetrate, diffuse, imbue, riddle]
3: cause to become widely known; "spread information"; "circulate a rumor"; "broadcast the news" [syn: circulate, circularize, circularise, distribute, disseminate, propagate, broadcast, spread, diffuse, disperse, pass around]

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Latin diffusus, past participle of diffundere to spread out, from dis- + fundere to pour — more at found Date: 15th century 1. being at once verbose and ill-organized 2. not concentrated or localized <diffuse sclerosis> <diffuse lighting> Synonyms: see wordy • diffusely adverb • diffuseness noun II. verb (diffused; diffusing) Etymology: Middle English diffused, past participle, from Latin diffusus, past participle Date: 14th century transitive verb 1. a. to pour out and permit or cause to spread freely b. extend, scatter c. to spread thinly or wastefully 2. to subject to diffusion; especially to break up and distribute (incident light) by reflection intransitive verb 1. to spread out or become transmitted especially by contact 2. to undergo diffusion • diffusible adjective

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. & v. --adj. 1 (of light, inflammation, etc.) spread out, diffused, not concentrated. 2 (of prose, speech, etc.) not concise, long-winded, verbose. --v.tr. & intr. 1 disperse or be dispersed from a centre. 2 spread or be spread widely; reach a large area. 3 Physics (esp. of fluids) intermingle by diffusion. Derivatives: diffusely adv. diffuseness n. diffusible adj. diffusive adj. Etymology: ME f. F diffus or L diffusus extensive (as DIS-, fusus past part. of fundere pour)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Diffuse Dif*fuse", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Diffused; p. pr. & vb. n. Diffusing.] [L. diffusus, p. p. of diffundere to pour out, to diffuse; dif- = dis- + fundere to pour. See Fuse to melt.] To pour out and cause to spread, as a fluid; to cause to flow on all sides; to send out, or extend, in all directions; to spread; to circulate; to disseminate; to scatter; as to diffuse information. Thence diffuse His good to worlds and ages infinite. --Milton. We find this knowledge diffused among all civilized nations. --Whewell. Syn: To expand; spread; circulate; extend; scatter; disperse; publish; proclaim.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Diffuse Dif*fuse", v. i. To pass by spreading every way, to diffuse itself.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Diffuse Dif*fuse", a. [L. diffusus, p. p.] Poured out; widely spread; not restrained; copious; full; esp., of style, opposed to concise or terse; verbose; prolix; as, a diffuse style; a diffuse writer. A diffuse and various knowledge of divine and human things. --Milton. Syn: Prolix; verbose; wide; copious; full. See Prolix.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(diffusing, diffused) 1. If something such as knowledge or information is diffused, or if it diffuses somewhere, it is made known over a wide area or to a lot of people. (WRITTEN) Over time, the technology is diffused and adopted by other countries. ...an attempt to diffuse new ideas... As agriculture developed, agricultural ideas diffused across Europe. = spread VERB: be V-ed, V n, V prep • diffusion ...the development and diffusion of ideas. N-UNCOUNT: with supp 2. To diffuse a feeling, especially an undesirable one, means to cause it to weaken and lose its power to affect people. The arrival of letters from the Pope did nothing to diffuse the tension. = dissipate VERB: V n 3. If something diffuses light, it causes the light to spread weakly in different directions. Diffusing a light also reduces its power... ? concentrate VERB: V n 4. To diffuse or be diffused through something means to move and spread through it. It allows nicotine to diffuse slowly and steadily into the bloodstream... The moisture present in all foods absorbs the flavour of the smoke and eventually diffuses that flavour into its interior. = permeate VERB: V prep, V n prep, also V, V n • diffusion There are data on the rates of diffusion of molecules. N-UNCOUNT: with supp 5. Something that is diffuse is not directed towards one place or concentrated in one place but spread out over a large area. (WRITTEN) ...a diffuse community... ADJ 6. If you describe something as diffuse, you mean that it is vague and difficult to understand or explain. His writing is so diffuse and obscure that it is difficult to make out what it is he is trying to say. ADJ

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. Disperse, scatter, disseminate, spread, circulate, propagate, distribute, pour out, send abroad, spread abroad. II. a. 1. Prolix, copious, rambling, loose, verbose, wordy, long-winded, long-spun, spun out. 2. (Med.) Spreading, ill-defined, vaguely defined.

Moby Thesaurus

abounding, abundant, affluent, all-sufficing, ambagious, ample, aplenty, assign, atomize, bend, bespread, bestrew, bias, bottomless, bounteous, bountiful, break into pieces, break to pieces, break up, broad, broadcast, carry over, casual, circuitous, circulate, circumfuse, circumlocutory, communicate, consign, copious, crash, crawl with, creep with, crook, crunch, crush, curve, cut to pieces, deal out, deflect, deflected, deflective, deliver, demolish, deport, desultory, deviate, diffract, diffracted, diffractive, diffuse, diffused, diffusive, digressive, discrete, discursive, disjoin, dispel, dispense, disperse, dispersed, dispread, disrupt, disseminate, disseminated, dissipate, dissipated, distort, distorted, distribute, distributed, diverge, divert, dogleg, ease, ease off, effuse, effusive, emanate, epidemic, exhaustless, expand, expel, export, extend, extend throughout, extended, extensive, extradite, extravagant, exuberant, fan out, far-embracing, far-extending, far-flung, far-flying, far-going, far-ranging, far-reaching, fat, fecund, fertile, fill, fission, flectional, flexed, flush, formless, fragment, free, full, galore, generous, grind, gushing, gushy, hairpin, hand forward, hand on, hand over, honeycomb, imbue, impart, import, in plenty, in quantity, indiscriminate, inexhaustible, inflective, infuse, interlard, intersow, intersperse, intersprinkle, issue, large-scale, lasting, lavish, lax, leave no void, leaven, lengthy, let go, let up, liberal, long, long-drawn-out, long-winded, loose, loosen, loquacious, luxuriant, make mincemeat of, make over, many, maximal, meandering, metastasize, metathesize, mince, much, numerous, occupy, opulent, overflowing, overrun, overscatter, oversow, overspread, overswarm, pass, pass on, pass over, pass the buck, penetrate, perfuse, periphrastic, permeate, pervade, plenitudinous, plenteous, plentiful, plenty, pleonastic, prevailing, prevalent, prodigal, productive, profuse, profusive, prolific, prolix, prolonged, propagate, protracted, publish, pull, pulverize, radiate, rambling, rampant, random, ray, redundant, refract, refracted, refractile, refractive, refrangible, reiterative, relax, relay, repetitive, replete, retail, rich, rife, riotous, roundabout, run through, running over, scatter, scattered, shatter, shiver, skew, skewed, slack, slack off, slacken, smash, smash up, sow, sow broadcast, sparse, splay, splinter, sporadic, spread, spread out, squash, squish, straggling, straggly, strew, strewn, strown, suffuse, superabundant, swarm with, sweeping, switch, tautologous, teem with, teeming, transfer, transfer property, transfuse, translate, translocate, transmit, transplace, transplant, transpose, turn, turn over, twist, unglue, unleash, unstick, utter, verbose, warp, wealthy, well-found, well-furnished, well-provided, well-stocked, wholesale, wide, wide-extended, wide-extending, wide-ranging, wide-reaching, wide-stretching, widespread, windy, wordy, zigzag