dispersion

[ dih-spur-zhuhn, -shuhn ]

noun

1. Also an act, state, or instance of dispersing or of being dispersed.
2. Optics.
   1. the variation of the index of refraction of a transparent substance, as glass, with the wavelength of light, with the index of refraction increasing as the wavelength decreases.
   2. the separation of white or compound light into its respective colors, as in the formation of a spectrum by a prism.
3. Statistics. the scattering of values of a variable around the mean or median of a distribution.
4. Military. a scattered pattern of hits of bombs dropped under identical conditions or of shots fired from the same gun with the same firing data.
5. Also called dis·perse sys·tem [dih-, spurs, , sis, -t, uh, m]. Physical Chemistry. a system of dispersed particles suspended in a solid, liquid, or gas.
6. (initial capital letter) Diaspora ( def 1 ).

dispersion

¹

/ dɪˈspɜːʃən /

noun

1. another word for dispersal
2. physics
   1. the separation of electromagnetic radiation into constituents of different wavelengths
   2. a measure of the ability of a substance to separate by refraction, expressed by the first differential of the refractive index with respect to wavelength at a given value of wavelength D
3. statistics the degree to which values of a frequency distribution are scattered around some central point, usually the arithmetic mean or median
4. chem a system containing particles dispersed in a solid, liquid, or gas
5. military the pattern of fire from a weapon system
6. 1. the range of speeds of such objects as the stars in a galaxy
   2. the frequency-dependent retardation of radio waves as they pass through the interstellar medium
   3. the deviation of a rocket from its prescribed path
7. ecology the distribution pattern of an animal or a plant population

Dispersion

²

/ dɪˈspɜːʃən /

noun

1. the Dispersion
   another name for the Diaspora

dispersion

/ dĭ-spûr′zhən /

1. The separation by refraction of light or other radiation into individual components of different wavelengths. Dispersion results in most materials because a material's index of refraction depends on the wavelength of the radiation passing through it; thus different wavelengths entering a material along the same path will fan out into different paths within it. Prisms, for example, diffuse white light (which contains an even mixture of visible wavelengths) into its variously colored components; rainbows are an effect of dispersion in water droplets.

Other Words From

• non·dis·per·sion noun
• pre·dis·per·sion noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of dispersion¹

1350–1400; Middle English dispersio ( u ) n (< Anglo-French ) < Latin dispersiōn- (stem of dispersiō ), equivalent to dispers ( us ) ( disperse ) + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

The European bloc said these events followed "worrying reports about violent dispersion of supporters in the aftermath of last week's election".

From BBC

This diffusion effect is known as Taylor-Aris dispersion, named for the two researchers who laid the foundations for understanding it back in the 1950s.

From Science Daily

The first agricultural and pottery-producing societies settled in Central Europe 7,500 years ago with the dispersion of the Early Neolithic Linear Pottery Culture.

From Science Daily

The bill forbids "intentional injection, release, or dispersion" of chemicals into the air.

From BBC

With the data collected, the team produced models -- called dispersion curves -- showing how quickly the waves reached each sensor and how their speed changed over time for each type of pipe and in each setting.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• diffusion