effuse

American  

[ih-fyooz, ih-fyoos] / ɪˈfyuz, ɪˈfyus /

verb (used with object)

effused, effusing

1. to pour out or forth; shed; disseminate.

   The town effuses warmth and hospitality.

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verb (used without object)

effused, effusing

1. to exude; flow out.

2. Physics. (of a gas) to flow through a very small orifice.

adjective

1. scattered; profuse.

2. Botany. spread out loosely.

3. (of certain shells) having the lips separated by a gap or groove.

effuse British  

verb

1. to pour or flow out

2. to spread out; diffuse

3. (intr) to talk profusely, esp in an excited manner

4. to cause (a gas) to flow or (of a gas) to flow under pressure

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adjective

1. botany (esp of an inflorescence) spreading out loosely

Other Word Forms

• uneffused adjective
• uneffusing adjective

Etymology

Origin of effuse

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin effūs ( us ) (past participle of effundere ) poured out, equivalent to ef- ef- + fūsus poured ( fuse ² )

Explanation

To effuse is to emit or give off. You know it's truly spring when the cherry trees in your neighborhood start to effuse a wonderfully sweet, floral scent. When something effuses, it seeps out in a way you can sense. Light effuses through the curtains in the morning, and the smell of waffles effuses from the kitchen on Saturday mornings. You can also describe a quality that emanates from someone using this verb: "My teacher effuses calmness and kindness, which is why everyone loves him." Effuse has a Latin root, effusus, "poured out."

Example Sentences

But she turned out nonetheless to effuse about the performance of Austin Butler in the Baz Luhrmann epic “Elvis” — and by extension the legacy of her father.

From Washington Post • Jan. 13, 2023

Under the same conditions, at what rate will sulfur dioxide effuse?

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

Though the accounts have been parroting talking points and effuse a preternatural affection for Amazon that one would think only artificial intelligence could muster, they do seem to be operated by actual people.

From Slate • Aug. 24, 2018

It's not enough to effuse on air, he talks up every song while off it.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 17, 2018

I depart as air, I shake my white locks at the runaway sun, I effuse my flesh in eddies, and drift it in lacy jags.

From Leaves of Grass by Whitman, Walt