də̇ˈspər]zhən, -pə̄], -pəi], ]shən noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English dispersioun, from Middle French dispersion, from Latin dispersion-, dispersio, from dispersus + -ion-, -io -ion
1. usually capitalized : diaspora 1a
2. : the act or process of dispersing or the state of being dispersed:
a. : the scattering of the values of a frequency distribution from their average
b. : the spreading of troops, weapons, vehicles, or airplanes over a wide area to avoid offering the enemy a concentrated target
c. : the spreading of chemical agents in warfare by means of a bursting charge in a container
d. : the scattering of projectiles or bombs fired or released under apparently identical conditions
3.
a. : the selective separation of a nonhomogeneous emission in accordance with some characteristic (as wavelength, particle mass, speed, or energy) ; especially : the separation of light into colors by refraction or diffraction with formation of a spectrum
b. : a measure of the degree of dispersion for any region of the spectrum commonly being the derivative of the separation with respect to the chosen characteristic (as wavelength) — compare dispersive power
4.
a. : a dispersed substance : dispersed phase
b. : a system (as an emulsion or suspension) consisting of a dispersed substance and the medium in which it is dispersed : colloid lb : disperse system