n.
Pronunciation: di- ' sp ə r-zh ə n, -sh ə n
Function: noun
Date: 14th century
1 capitalized : DIASPORA 1A
2 : the act or process of dispersing : the state of being dispersed
3 : the scattering of the values of a frequency distribution from an average
4 : the separation of light into colors by refraction or diffraction with formation of a spectrum also : the separation of radiation into components in accordance with some varying characteristic (as energy)
5 a : a dispersed substance b : a system consisting of a dispersed substance and the medium in which it is dispersed : COLLOID 2B