Make Your Point > Archived Issues > DIFFUSE

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connect today's word to others: Diffuse literally means "to pour apart." It's based on the Latin fundere, meaning "to pour," which explains why it looks like fuse (and defuse), infuse, confuse, effusive, profuse, refuse, suffuse, and transfuse. I like to let those connections sink in--they're really interesting, don't you think? That to confuse things is literally to pour them together; that to refuse things is literally to pour them back, etc. So anyway, imagine pouring words all across a paper, and you'll see why one modern meaning of diffuse is "long-winded, too wordy." (Diffuse praise, for example, is the kind that rambles on and on.) In that sense, some synonyms of diffuse include ga____ous, lo____ious, and v___ble. Could you recall each? (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "DIFFUSE" When things diffuse ("dih FYOOZE"), they spread out or scatter widely around. And something diffuse ("dih FYOOSE") is either spread out or scattered widely around OR it uses way too many words (as if the words were poured all across a wide area). Pronunciation: The verb is "dih FYOOZE," and the adjective is "dih FYOOSE." Part of speech: Both a verb ("something diffuses," or "someone diffuses something") and an adjective ("a diffuse thing," "a thing that's diffuse"). Other forms: diffused, diffusing, diffusion; diffusely, diffuseness Don't mix it up with "defuse:" Often, people write "diffuse" when they really mean "defuse," as in "to defuse a bomb." Imagine a situation is like a ticking bomb: to defuse that situation is to remove its fuse, to make things calm or safe. So you don't "diffuse" an argument, a crisis, a threatening situation, the chaos, or the madness--you "defuse" those things.  How to use it: Let's look first at the verb. Although you can talk about people who diffuse something--"they diffused the information," "we diffused the results of the research,"--more often, you talk about people or things that diffuse on their own: populations that diffuse across a nation, lights or sounds or smells that diffuse across a room, rumors that diffuse throughout a school, trends and technologies that diffuse across the world, etc. For the adjective, notice how there are two different meanings. The first is "scattered widely:" in that sense, talk about diffuse light and sounds and smells, diffuse groups and networks and populations, a diffuse appeal or popularity, etc.  And for the second meaning, "overly wordy," keep in mind that it has a negative tone as you talk about diffuse speaking and writing, a diffuse style of speaking or writing, and diffuse speakers and writers. examples: We often wish that our extended family were less diffused across the nation. I had no patience for the novelist's diffuse descriptions of the English countryside. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition of the verb, "to diffuse," in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "to diffuse" means when you can explain it without saying "to disperse" or "to spread out." Let's do it again for the adjective. Look away from the screen to explain BOTH definitions of the adjective, "diffuse," in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "diffuse" means when you can explain both meanings without saying "widely strewn" or "wordy." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "All across (a place) is a diffusion of (things)." Example: "All across the west end of Houston is a diffusion of stellar international restaurants." before you review: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. This month, see if you can associate a snippet of song lyrics with a word we’ve studied before. For example, here's Dave Matthews: "Wasting time, let the hours roll by doing nothing for the fun. A little taste of the good life." Those lyrics call to mind the word LOTUS-EATING. From our previous issue:  In "Can't Get You Out Of My Head," Kylie Minogue sings:   "I just can't get you out of my head Boy, your lovin' is all I think about." Do those lyrics call to mind the word INCESSANT, NASCENT, or NICETIES? Why? Answer: INCESSANT. Something incessant, such as a thought that won't leave your mind, replays again and again and again, or it goes on and on and on. Try this today: In "Ironic," Alanis Morissette sings:   "Well, life has a funny way of sneaking up on you When you think everything's okay and everything's going right And life has a funny way of helping you out when You think everything's gone wrong and everything blows up In your face." Do those lyrics call to mind the word LODESTONE, DETRITUS, or VICISSITUDES? Why? review today's word: 1. One opposite of DIFFUSE is A. FLIPPANT. B. HYSTERICAL. C. CONCENTRATED. 2. Social psychologists have _____ the diffusion of responsibility within the crowd. A. explained heroic behavior with B. connected politeness to strangers with C. blamed bystanders' failure to help someone in need on Answers are below. a final word: Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From Liesl's blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. C 2. C