1520s (transitive), "to pour out and spread, cause to flow and spread;" 1650s (intransitive), "spread abroad, scatter in all directions;" from Latin diffusus, past participle of diffundere "to pour out or away," from dis- "apart, in every direction" (see dis-) + fundere "to pour" (from nasalized form of PIE root *gheu- "to pour"). Related: Diffused; diffusing.
diffuse (adj.)
early 15c., "hard to understand;" also, of writers, "verbose, using many words;" from Latin diffusus, past participle of diffundere "scatter, pour out," from dis- "apart, in every direction" (see dis-) + fundere "to pour" (from nasalized form of PIE root *gheu- "to pour"). Meaning "widely spread or diffused, scattered" is from late 15c.
a large diffuse organization
a diffuse historical novel
difficulty
diffidence
diffident
diffract
diffraction
diffuse
diffusion
dig
digamist
digamma
digest