# diffuse
## English
### Etymology 1

From Middle French diffuser, from Latin diffūsus, past participle of diffundere, from dis- + fundere.

#### Pronunciation

* enPR: dĭfyo͞oz'
* (UK) IPA: /dɪˈfjuːz/
* (US) IPA: /dɪˈfjuz/
* Audio (US):(file)
* Rhymes: -uːz
* Homophone: defuse

#### Verb

diffuse (third-person singular simple present diffuses, present participle diffusing, simple past and past participle diffused)
* (transitive) To spread over or through as in air, water, or other matter, especially by fluid motion or passive means.
** 1837, William Whewell, “Earliest Stages of Astronomy”, in History of the Inductive Sciences, from the Earliest to the Present Times. […], volume I, London: John W[illiam] Parker, […]; Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: J. and J. J. Deighton, →OCLC, book III (History of Greek Astronomy), section 3 (Correction of the Civil Year. (Julian Calendar.)), page 121:We do not know by whom the insufficiency of the year of 365 days was first discovered; we find this knowledge diffused among all civilized nations, and various artifices used in making the correction.
* (intransitive) To be spread over or through as in air, water, or other matter, especially by fluid motion or passive means.
    Food coloring diffuses in water.
    The riot diffused quite suddenly.

##### Usage notes

The words diffuse and defuse are frequently confused. To defuse a difficult situation would be to make it less potentially explosive (as if removing the fuse from a stick of dynamite); to diffuse it would be to spread it around.

##### Synonyms

* forspread

##### Derived terms

* diffusability
* diffusable
* diffusate
* diffuseness
* diffuser
* diffusible
* diffuson
* hydrodiffuse
* interdiffuse
* nondiffuse
* outdiffuse
* overdiffuse
* rediffuse
* ultradiffuse
* undiffuse

##### Translations
### Etymology 2

From Middle English *diffuse (attested in adverb diffuseli), from Latin diffūsus.

#### Pronunciation

* enPR: dĭfyo͞os'
* (UK) IPA: /dɪˈfjuːs/
* (US) IPA: /dɪˈfjus/
* Audio (US):(file)
* Rhymes: -uːs

#### Adjective

diffuse (comparative more diffuse, superlative most diffuse)
* Everywhere or throughout everything; not focused or concentrated.
    Such a diffuse effort is unlikely to produce good results.
* Wordy; verbose.

##### Synonyms

* (not concentrated): spread out, thin; see also Thesaurus:diffuse
* (verbose): palaverous, prolix; see also Thesaurus:verbose

##### Derived terms

* diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis
* diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
* diffusely
* diffuse parenchymal lung disease
* ultra-diffuse

##### Translations
### Related terms

* diffusion

### References

* “diffuse”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

### Anagrams

* Duffies

## French
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /di.fyz/
* Audio:(file)

### Verb

diffuse
* inflection of diffuser:
** first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
** second-person singular imperative

### Adjective

diffuse
* feminine singular of diffus

## German
### Pronunciation

* Audio:(file)

### Adjective

diffuse
* inflection of diffus:
** strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
** strong nominative/accusative plural
** weak nominative all-gender singular
** weak accusative feminine/neuter singular

## Italian
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /difˈfu.ze/
* Rhymes: -uze
* Hyphenation: dif‧fù‧se

### Etymology 1
#### Verb

diffuse
* third-person singular past historic of diffondere

### Etymology 2
#### Participle

diffuse f pl
* feminine plural of diffuso

#### Adjective

diffuse
* feminine plural of diffuso

## Latin
### Etymology

From diffūsus (“scattered, spread”).

### Adverb

diffūsē (comparative diffūsius, superlative diffūsissimē)
* diffusely, in a scattered manner.
* copiously, fully

#### Related terms

* diffūsus

### References

* “diffuse”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
* Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, 1st edition. (Oxford University Press)

## Norwegian Bokmål
### Adjective

diffuse
* definite singular of diffus
* plural of diffus

## Norwegian Nynorsk
### Adjective

diffuse
* definite singular of diffus
* plural of diffus