Dictionary
Find
in
Dictionary
Thesaurus
Translations

Click to move up the list of words
dispensary
dispensation
dispense
dispense with
dispenser
dispensing optician
dispersal
dispersant
disperse
dispersed industry
Dispersion
dispersion
dispersive
dispirit
dispiriting
displace
displaced person
Click to move down the list of words
Also available:

World English Dictionary
Dictionnaire Français

disperse

dis·perse [ di spúrss ] (past and past participle dis·persed, present participle dis·pers·ing, 3rd person present singular dis·pers·es)


transitive and intransitive verb 
Definition:
 
1. scatter: to cause something to scatter in different directions, or scatter in this way

2. distribute widely: to distribute something over a wide area, or become widespread

3. cause to disappear: to cause something to disappear, or disappear

4. chemistry distribute evenly: to distribute particles evenly throughout a medium, or become distributed in this way

5. physics separate into colors: to separate white light into the component colors of the spectrum, or undergo this process

[14th century. < Old French disperser< Latin dispers-, past participle of dispergere "scatter around" < spargere "scatter"]

dis·pers·er noun

Spelling Note

See disburse

Advertisement

© 2009 Microsoft