dispersion
UK /dɪˈspɜːʒən/ · US /dɪˈspɝʒən/ noun
Forms dispersions
- noun The state of being dispersed.
- noun A process of dispersing.
- noun The degree of scatter of data.
- noun (physics) The separation of waves of different frequency in space or time; the amount of such separation.
- noun (medicine) The removal of inflammation.
Synonyms
dispersedness dispersal scattering distribution dissemination diffusion
Etymology
From disperse + -ion, from Middle English dispersioun, from Old French dispersion, from Latin dispersiō.
Webster’s 1913
- noun The act or process of scattering or dispersing, or the state of being scattered or separated; as, the Jews in their dispersion retained their rites and ceremonies; a great dispersion of the human family took place at the building of Babel.
- noun The separation of light into its different colored rays, arising from their different refrangibilities. Dispersion of the optic axes (Crystallog.), the separation of the optic axes in biaxial crystals, due to the fact that the axial angle has different values for the different colors of the spectrum.
Etymology [CF. F. dispersion.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “dispersion”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details