dissipation

[ dis-uh-pey-shuhn ]

noun

1. the act of dissipating.
2. the state of being dissipated; dissipated; dispersion; disintegration.
3. a wasting by misuse:

   the dissipation of a fortune.

4. mental distraction; amusement; diversion.
5. dissolute way of living, especially excessive drinking of liquor; intemperance.
6. Physics, Mechanics. a process in which energy is used or lost without accomplishing useful work, as friction causing loss of mechanical energy.

dissipation

/ ˌdɪsɪˈpeɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of dissipating or condition of being dissipated
2. unrestrained indulgence in physical pleasures, esp alcohol
3. excessive expenditure; wastefulness
4. amusement; diversion

dissipation

/ dĭs′ə-pā′shən /

1. The loss of energy from a physical system, most often in the form of heat.

Word History and Origins

Origin of dissipation¹

First recorded in 1535–45; from Latin dissipātiōn-, stem of dissipātiō; equivalent to dissipate + -ion

Example Sentences

Left-wing newspaper Libération saw the scandal as part of the dissipation of the Catholic Church's "long vow of silence" about sexual abuse, adding that before the advent of the MeToo movement, the women's allegations would have gone unheard.

From BBC

To address the issue, researchers worldwide have turned their attention to the interfacial heat dissipation between MOFs and the materials they come into contact with.

From Science Daily

Further analysis using the frequency domain direct decomposition method developed by the team found that the adsorbed water not only activates the high-frequency vibrations, but also increases the overlap of vibrational density of states between the substrate and MOF which enhances the thermal energy dissipation from the substrate to MOF, highlighting the bridge effect of the adsorbed water molecules.

From Science Daily

What's more, the designs that are deployed tend to have a low wave dissipation per unit volume of material used.

From Science Daily

Until now, researchers have hypothesized that viscoelastic energy dissipation causes adhesion hysteresis in soft solids.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• diffusion
• wastage