diffuse
Definitions
To spread something widely or in all directions
扩散，散布；传播
To make something less tense or intense
缓和，化解（紧张等）
Spread out; not concentrated or focused
散开的；不集中的，冗长的
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedFrom the fus- (pour) branch: dif- (apart) + fus (pour) = 'pour apart.' Tip a jug and the liquid spreads in every direction at once — that is the physical sense. The adjective sense follows: a diffuse argument is poured out everywhere, spread thin and unfocused.
Root flu still carries 61 more wordsUsage Guide
Watch the pronunciation shift: the verb diffuse ends in /-z/ (di-FYOOZ), the adjective in /-s/ (di-FYOOSS). Also distinguish diffuse (spread out) from defuse (remove the fuse from a bomb / calm a situation) — different words, often confused: you defuse a crisis, you diffuse a smell.
Example Sentences
- 1.
The scent of jasmine slowly diffused through the room.
- 2.
A good leader can diffuse tension before it grows.
- 3.
His writing is diffuse and hard to follow.
Easily Confused
diffuse vs defuse — they sound almost identical but are unrelated. defuse = remove the fuse (from a bomb or a tense situation): defuse the argument. diffuse = spread out: diffuse the gas. If you're calming something down, it's defuse.