diffusion
/dɪˈfju.ʒən/
Frequency: 3.40 in modern English
Meaning
noun
The act of diffusing or dispersing something, or the property of being diffused or dispersed; dispersion.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
The scattering of light by reflection from a rough surface, or by passage through a translucent medium.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
The intermingling of the molecules of a fluid due to random thermal agitation.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
The spread of cultural or linguistic practices, or social institutions, in one or more communities.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
Exchange of airborne media between regions in space in an apparently random motion of a small scale.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
The movement of water vapor from regions of high concentration (high water vapor pressure) toward regions of lower concentration.
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "gaseous diffusion"
- "Even the false-necked vase, though it reaches its widest diffusion at this epoch, is, as we have seen, a type found existing in much earlier strata."
- "The chief salesman of the A.I. boom, Sam Altman of OpenAI, said there was more resistance to “the diffusion, the absorption” of A.I. into the culture and economy than he expected."
Etymology
Origin
- Source language: Latin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /dɪˈfju.ʒən/
- British English: /dɪˈfjuː.ʒən/