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dispersion

dispersion definition

dis·per·sion (di spʉr′z̸hən, -s̸hən)

noun

a dispersing or being dispersed
the breaking up of light into component colored rays, as by means of a prism
the resolution of a complex electromagnetic radiation into components in accordance with some characteristic, as wavelength or energy
the variation or scattering of data around some average or central value
a colloidal system with its dispersed particles and the medium in which these are suspended
Diaspora (sense )

Etymology: ME dispersioun < OFr dispersion < L dispersio

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
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