diffusion

[ dih-fyoo-zhuhn ]

noun

1. the act of diffusing or state of being diffused:

   During the gradual, unorchestrated diffusion of ideas from science into the surrounding culture, crucial information can sometimes be lost.

2. excessive wordiness of speech or writing; long-windedness.
3. Physics.
   1. Also called migration. an intermingling of molecules, ions, etc., resulting from random thermal agitation, as in the dispersion of a vapor in air.
   2. a reflection or refraction of light or other electromagnetic radiation from an irregular surface, or an erratic dispersion through a surface; scattering.
4. Movies. a soft-focus effect resulting from placing a gelatin or silk plate in front of a studio light or a camera lens, or through the use of diffusion filters.
5. Meteorology. the spreading of atmospheric constituents or properties by turbulent motion as well as molecular motion of the air.
6. Anthropology, Sociology. Also called cul·tur·al dif·fu·sion [kuhl, -cher-, uh, l di-, fyoo, -zh, uh, n]. the transmission of elements or features of one culture to another.

diffusion

/ dɪˈfjuːʒən /

noun

1. the act or process of diffusing or being diffused; dispersion
2. verbosity
3. physics
   1. the random thermal motion of atoms, molecules, clusters of atoms, etc, in gases, liquids, and some solids
   2. the transfer of atoms or molecules by their random motion from one part of a medium to another
4. physics the transmission or reflection of electromagnetic radiation, esp light, in which the radiation is scattered in many directions and not directly reflected or refracted; scattering
5. Also calleddiffusivity physics the degree to which the directions of propagation of reverberant sound waves differ from point to point in an enclosure
6. anthropol the transmission of social institutions, skills, and myths from one culture to another

diffusion

/ dĭ-fyo̅o̅′zhən /

1. The movement of atoms or molecules from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration. Atoms and small molecules can move across a cell membrane by diffusion.
2. Compare osmosis
3. The reflection or refraction of radiation such as light or sound by an irregular surface, tending to scatter it in many directions.

diffusion

1. The spreading of atoms or molecules of one substance through those of another, especially into liquids or gas es.

Other Words From

• in·ter·dif·fu·sion noun
• non·dif·fu·sion noun
• o·ver·dif·fu·sion noun
• re·dif·fu·sion noun
• self-dif·fu·sion noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of diffusion¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Latin diffūsiōn-, stem of diffūsiō “a spreading out”; equivalent to diffuse + -ion

Example Sentences

On one hand, the diffusion of bats across the landscape could slow the march of white-nose syndrome, which is primarily spread between bats when they groom or touch each other.

From Los Angeles Times

As if playing Kendall Roy during the award-winning run of “Succession” didn’t mess with Jeremy Strong enough, the character is still taking a toll on the self-described “identity diffusion” actor.

From Los Angeles Times

His new place of work, StabilityAI, is best known for making Stable Diffusion - which can generate images based on a user's text prompt.

From BBC

Stability AI founder Emad Mostaque has previously told BBC News Stable Diffusion is trained using "100,000 GB of images" taken from the internet.

From BBC

It is also branching out into video, with Stable Video Diffusion, which works in the same way.

From BBC

Related Words

• dispersal
• dispersion
• dissemination
• dissipation