dispersion

American  

[dih-spur-zhuhn, -shuhn] / dɪˈspɜr ʒən, -ʃən /

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 disperse system.  Physical Chemistry. a system of dispersed particles suspended in a solid, liquid, or gas.

6. (initial capital letter) Diaspora.

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dispersion ¹ British  

/ dɪˈspɜːʃən /

noun

1. another word for dispersal

2. physics

   1. the separation of electromagnetic radiation into constituents of different wavelengths

   2.  D.  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

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

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Dispersion ² British  

/ dɪˈspɜːʃən /

noun

1. another name for the Diaspora

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dispersion Scientific  

/ 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.

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Other Word Forms

• nondispersion noun
• predispersion noun

Etymology

Origin of dispersion

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

Example Sentences

The shift in net positioning is particularly notable, Kizemchuk said, because it could help explain the huge levels of dispersion spotted beneath the hood of the U.S. equity market earlier this year.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 27, 2026

“Indices have traded sideways, but dispersion has been historically high under the surface,” he notes.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 9, 2026

Among them are massless spin waves similar to graphene's electron waves, as well as low dispersion bands associated with localized states and even topological effects that span multiple bands.

From Science Daily • Mar. 8, 2026

Energy volatility, inflation uncertainty and regional dispersion are returning as defining market features, she adds.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 3, 2026

Within small areas the beetles accomplish their own dispersion, moving on as soon as the Klamath weed dies out and locating new stands with great precision.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Related Words

• diffusion