What does diffuse mean?

Definitions for diffuse
dɪˈfyuz; -ˈfyusdif·fuse

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word diffuse.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. diffuseadjective

    spread out; not concentrated in one place

    "a large diffuse organization"

  2. soft, diffuse, diffusedadjective

    (of light) transmitted from a broad light source or reflected

  3. diffuseverb

    lacking conciseness

    "a diffuse historical novel"

  4. diffuse, spread, spread out, fan outverb

    move outward

    "The soldiers fanned out"

  5. permeate, pervade, penetrate, interpenetrate, diffuse, imbue, riddleverb

    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"

  6. circulate, circularize, circularise, distribute, disseminate, propagate, broadcast, spread, diffuse, disperse, pass aroundverb

    cause to become widely known

    "spread information"; "circulate a rumor"; "broadcast the news"

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Diffuseadjective

    Etymology: diffusus, Latin.

  2. To DIFFUSEverb

    Etymology: diffusus, Latin.

    When these waters began to rise at first, long before they could swell to the height of the mountains, they would diffuse themselves every way. Thomas Burnet, Theory of the Earth.

    Wisdom had ordain’d
    Good out of evil to create; instead
    Of spirits malign, a better race to bring
    Into their vacant room, and thence diffuse
    His good to worlds, and ages, infinite. John Milton, Par. Lost.

    No sect wants its apostles to propagate and diffuse it. Decay of Piety.

    A chief renown’d in war,
    Whose race shall bear aloft the Latian name,
    And through the conquer’d world diffuse our fame. Dryden.

    His eyes diffus’d a venerable grace,
    And charity itself was in his face. John Dryden, Good Parson.

Wikipedia

  1. diffuse

    Diffusion is the net movement of anything (for example, atoms, ions, molecules, energy) generally from a region of higher concentration to a region of lower concentration. Diffusion is driven by a gradient in Gibbs free energy or chemical potential. It is possible to diffuse "uphill" from a region of lower concentration to a region of higher concentration, like in spinodal decomposition. The concept of diffusion is widely used in many fields, including physics (particle diffusion), chemistry, biology, sociology, economics, and finance (diffusion of people, ideas, and price values). The central idea of diffusion, however, is common to all of these: a substance or collection undergoing diffusion spreads out from a point or location at which there is a higher concentration of that substance or collection. A gradient is the change in the value of a quantity, for example, concentration, pressure, or temperature with the change in another variable, usually distance. A change in concentration over a distance is called a concentration gradient, a change in pressure over a distance is called a pressure gradient, and a change in temperature over a distance is called a temperature gradient. The word diffusion derives from the Latin word, diffundere, which means "to spread out." A distinguishing feature of diffusion is that it depends on particle random walk, and results in mixing or mass transport without requiring directed bulk motion. Bulk motion, or bulk flow, is the characteristic of advection. The term convection is used to describe the combination of both transport phenomena. If a diffusion process can be described by Fick's laws, it's called a normal diffusion (or Fickian diffusion); Otherwise, it's called an anomalous diffusion (or non-Fickian diffusion).

ChatGPT

  1. diffuse

    Diffuse refers to the process of spreading out or dispersing over a wide area or among a large number of people. It can also link to a situation that lacks clarity or is not concentrated in one place.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Diffuseverb

    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

  2. Diffuseverb

    to pass by spreading every way, to diffuse itself

  3. Diffuseadjective

    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

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Diffuse

    dif-ūz′, v.t. to pour out all round: to send out in all directions: to scatter: to circulate: to publish.—v.i. to spread, as a liquid does.—pa.p. and adj. Diffused′, spread widely: loose.—adv. Diffus′edly.—ns. Diffus′edness; Diffus′er; Diffusibil′ity.—adj. Diffus′ible, that may be diffused.—ns. Diffū′sion, a spreading or scattering abroad: extension: distribution: in the case of gases or liquids in contact, mixture through each other; Diffū′sion-tube, an instrument for determining the rate of diffusion for different gases.—adj. Diffus′ive, extending: spreading widely.—adv. Diffus′ively.—n. Diffus′iveness. [L. diffundĕre, diffūsumdif (= dis), asunder, fundĕre, to pour out.]

  2. Diffuse

    dif-ūs′, adj. diffused: widely spread: wordy: not concise.—adv. Diffuse′ly.—n. Diffuse′ness.

Suggested Resources

  1. Diffuse

    Defuse vs. Diffuse -- In this Grammar.com article you will learn the differences between the words Defuse and Diffuse.

Entomology

  1. Diffuse

    spreading out; without distinct edge or margin.

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of diffuse in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of diffuse in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

Examples of diffuse in a Sentence

  1. Martin Cordiner:

    The diffuse ISM was historically considered too harsh and tenuous an environment for appreciable abundances of large molecules to occur, prior to the detection of C60, the largest known molecules in space were only 12 atoms in size. Our confirmation of C60 + shows just how complex astrochemistry can get, even in the lowest density, most strongly ultraviolet-irradiated environments in the Galaxy.

  2. Jonathan Davis:

    These telescopes were designed to look for diffuse light around galaxies. Not in the context of dark matter, but you can repurpose the data to look for this glow, [The Dragonfly telescopes] are really good at looking for this high contrast between the really bright galactic center and the really dim outskirts of galaxies.

  3. Attorney General Loretta Lynch:

    Our nation faces a host of serious, varied and evolving challenges. Our highest priority must always be the security of our homeland, and we are acting aggressively to diffuse threats, we continue to investigate and apprehend those who seek to harm us, including upwards of 70 individuals charged since 2013 for conduct related to foreign fighter activity, and home-grown violent extremism.

  4. Robert Muggah:

    There is something qualitatively different about terrorist organizations and their dynamics today because they are more diffuse and widely distributed and may materialize where you don't expect them.

  5. Albert Ogien:

    May '68 was all about having an actual revolution against capitalism. Now it's much more diffuse... and it's hard to have another May '68 if you don't have one clearly identified common enemy.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

diffuse#10000#19568#100000

Translations for diffuse

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

  • разпространявам, разсейвам се, разсейвам, разпръсвам се, разпръсвам, дифузен, разсеянBulgarian
  • diffundieren, diffusGerman
  • difusoSpanish
  • hajaantunut, hajottaa, lavea, levittää, diffuusi, hajota, diffundoitua, hajanainen, levitä, hajaantuaFinnish
  • diffuser, diffusFrench
  • idirleata, idirleathIrish
  • árad, terjedHungarian
  • difuzarIdo
  • diffusoItalian
  • kona, tūringiringi, tūrererereMāori
  • diffundere, diffusNorwegian
  • difusoPortuguese
  • рассе́ять, распространя́ть, распространи́ть, рассе́ивать, распространи́ться, рассе́яться, рассе́иваться, распространя́тьсяRussian
  • diffus, diffunderaSwedish
  • dağınıkTurkish

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"diffuse." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Dec. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/diffuse>.

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