diffluent 
diffluent (dif'lo-ent), a. [= F. diffluent = Pg. 
(tiljlui'iili; < L. ilil)\iii'ii(t-)s, i>]ir. nf ilitthifi-' (> 
Sp. dijluir), flow in different directions, < dis-, 
away, apart, + Jluere, flow : see fluent.'] Tend- 
ing to flow away on all sides ; not fixed ; read- 
ily dissolving. 
A formless, apparently tlijHnt'nt and structureless mass. 
A Gray, in Nat. Scl. and Rel., p. 14. 
Difflugia (ili-flo'ji-a), n. [NL., formed (im- 
prop.) from theL. base diffluij- (as in pp. diffliur- 
us) of diffluere, flow apart : see diffluent.'] A ge- 
nus of ordinary amcabiform rhizopods, of the 
order Anurboidfa and family Arcellidat, haying 
a kind of test or shell made of foreign particles 
agglutinated together, as grains of sand, dia- 
toms, etc. : so called from the flowing out or 
apart of the pseudopods. /'. urceolata is an 
example. 
difform (dif'6rm), a. [< F. difforme, OF. def- 
j'lirine = 8p. Pg. disforme = It. difforme, < ML. 
'difformis, var. of L. deformis, deformed : see de- 
form, a.] 1. Irregular in form ; not uniform; 
anomalous; deformed. 2. Unlike; dissimilar. 
Tbe unequal refractions of difforin rays. Newton. 
difformed (di-f6rmd'), a. Same as difform. 
difformity (di-fdr'mi-ti), . ; pi. difform itim 
(-tiz). [< F. difform'it^ = Sp. disformidad = 
Pg. disformidade = It. difforiiiitd, < ML. dif- 
formiUi(t-')s, var. of L. deformita(t-)s, deform- 
ity: see difform and deformity.] Difference or 
diversity in form ; lack of uniformity. 
Just as ... hearing and seeing are not Inequalities or 
diffortiiitieit iu the soul of man, but each of them powers 
of the whole suul. Clarke, Ans. to Sixth Letter. 
diffract (di-frakf), . t. [= F. diffracter,< L. 
diffractus, pp. of diffringere, break in pieces, < 
dis-, asunder, + frangere = E. break : see frac- 
tion and break.] To break into parts; specifi- 
cally, in optics, to break up, as a beam of light, 
by deflecting it from a right line; deflect. 
diffract (di-frakf), a. [< L. diffractus, pp. : see 
the verb.] In Uchcnology, broken into distinct 
areoles separated by chinks. 
diffracted (di-frak'ted), a. [< diffract + -e<P.] 
In entom., bending in opposite directions: as, 
elytra diffracted at the tips. 
diffraction (di-frak'shon), n. [= F. diffraction 
= Pg. diffrarySo = It. Siffrazione, < L. as if *dif- 
fractio(n-), < diffringere, pp. diffractus, break m 
pieces: see diffract, p.] 1. In optics, the spread- 
ing of light or deflection of its rays, accompa- 
nied by phenomena of interference : occasioned 
by the neighborhood of an opaque body to the 
course of the light, as when it passes by the edge 
of an opaque body or through a small aperture, 
the luminous rays appearing to be bent or de- 
flected from their straight course and mutually 
interfering with one another. See interference. 
Diffraction Bands. 
Thus, if a beam of monochromatic light is passed through a 
narrow slit and received on ascreen in a dark room, a series 
of alternately light and dark bands or fringes is seen, which 
diminish in intensity and distinctness on either side of the 
central line ; if white light is employed, a series of colored 
spectra of different orders is obtained. Similar phenom- 
ena of diffraction are obtained from diffraction gratings, 
which consist of a hand of equidistant parallel lines (from 
10,000 to 30,000 or more to the inch), ruled on a surface of 
glass or of polished metal ; the spectra obtained by this 
means are called inte rference or diffraction spectra. They 
tlilt'er from prismatic spectra, since iu them the colors are 
uniformly distributed in their true order and extent ac- 
cording to their difference In wave-length ; while in the 
latter the less refrangible (red) rays are crowded together, 
and the more refrangible (blue, violet) are dispersed. Dif- 
fraction gratings are now much used, especially in study- 
ing the solar spectrum. The best gratings are ruled on 
speculum metal with a concave surface (often called Roip- 
/'iii'l gratings, after Professor Henry A. Rowland of Balti- 
more), and give an image of the spectrum directly, without 
the intervention of a lens. 
The street lamps at night, looked at through the meshes 
of a handkerchief, show diffraction phenomena. 
Tyndall, Light and Elect., p. 95. 
This diffraction grating is merely a system of close, equi- 
distant, parallel liius ruled upon a plate of glass or polished 
metal. C. A. Young, The Sun, p. 78. 
Hence 2. In acoustics, the analogous modifi- 
cation produced upon sound-waves when pass- 
ing by the edge of a large body, as a building. 
Tlie chief difference between the two classes of phenom- 
ena is due to the relatively enormous length of the waves 
of sound, as compared with those of light. - Diffraction 
circles, see ,'ir,-/,\ 
diffractive (di-frak'tiv), a. [= F. diffractif; 
as diffract + -ire.] Pertaining to diffraction ; 
causing diffraction. 
1011 
diffractively (di-frak'tiv-li), adr. By or with 
iliffriictioii ; in a diffractive manner. 
In the til-si place, a marked distinction is to lie drawn 
between those objectives of low ..r inmlrnit'- power which 
are to be worked dioptrlcally and those of high power 
which are to be worked di/ractioelv. 
W. II. Carpenter, Encyc. Brit., XVI. 208. 
diffranchiset, diffranchisementt (di-fran'chiz 
or -chiz, di-fran'chiz-ment or -chiz-ment). 
Same us disfranchise, disj'ranchisement. 
diffrangibility (di-frau-ji-biri-ti), n. [< dif- 
frimgible: sae-bility.] The quality of beingdif- 
frangible ; the degree of diffraction. 
The refranglbillty of a ray and its diffrangibility, if we 
may coin the word, both depend upon the number of pul- 
sations per second with which it reaches the diffracting 
or refracting surface. C. A. Young, The Sun, p. 98. 
diffrangible (di-fran'ji-bl), . [< L. 'diffran- 
gere, assumed for diffringere, break (see dif- 
fract), + -ible.'] Capable of being diffracted, 
as light passing through a narrow slit, or re- 
flected from a diffraction grating. See diffrac- 
tion, 1. 
dlffugient (di-fu'ji-ent), a. [< L. diffugien(t-)s, 
ppr. of diffugere, nee in different directions, 
scatter, disappear, < dis-, apart, + fugere, flee.] 
Dispersing ; fleeing ; vanishing. [Rare.] 
To-morrow the diffuyient snows will give place to spring. 
Thackeray, Round about the Christinas Tree. 
diffusate (di-fu'sat), n. [< diffuse + -ate*.] 
The solution of crystalline or diffusible sub- 
stances resulting from dialysis. 
diffuse (di-fuz'), v. : pret. and pp. diffused, ppr. 
diffusing. [= F. diffuser, < L. diffusus, pp. of 
diffundere, pour in different directions, spread 
by pouring, pour out, < dis-, away, + fundere, 
pour: see fuse.] I. trans. 1. To pour out and 
spread, as a fluid ; cause to flow and spread. 
Our bounty, like a drop of water, disappears when dif- 
fused too widely. Goldsmith, Good-natured Man, ill. 
2. To spread abroad; scatter; send out or ex- 
tend in all directions. 
The mind, when ft is withdrawn and collected into it- 
self, and not diffused into the organs of the body, hath 
some extent and latitude of prenotlon. 
Bacon, Advancement of Learning, ii. 204. 
Believe her [Vanity] not, her glass diffuses 
False portraitures. Quartet, Emblems, 11. G. 
All around 
A general Sigh diffus'd a mournful Sound. 
Cangreoc, Iliad. 
I see thee sitting crowu'd with good, 
A central warmth diffusing bliss. 
TVimi/wiii, In Mcmoriam, Ixxxiv. 
= Syn. 2. To scatter, disseminate, circulate, disperse, dis- 
tribute, propagate. 
II. intrans. To spread, as a fluid, by the wan- 
dering of its molecules in amongst those of a 
contiguous fluid. Thus, if alayerof salt water be placed 
beneath fresh water, the salt water will gradually pene- 
trate into the fresh water, against the action of gravity, 
diffuse (di-fus'), a. K ME. "diffuse (in adv. dif- 
fuseli) = OF. diffus, F. diffus = Sp. difuso = Pg. 
It. diffuso, < L. diffusus, pp. : see diffuse, v.] 
1. Widely spread or diffused; extended; dis- 
persed; scattered. 
A diffuse and various knowledge of divine and human 
things. Milton, To the Parliament of England. 
Specifically (a) In pathol., spreading widely and having 
no distinctively denned limits : as, a diffuse inflammation 
or suppuration: opposed to circumscribed. (fr) In //., 
spreading widely and loosely. (<) In emtfryol., applied to 
a form of uon-decidnate placenta in which the fetal villi 
form a broad belt, (rf) In zoo/., sparse; few and scattered, 
as markings ; especially, in entotn., said of punctures, etc., 
when they are less thickly set than on a neighboring part 
from which they appear to be scattered off. 
2. Prolix; using many words; verbose; ram- 
bling: said of speakers and writers or their 
style. 
'lli' reasoning of them is sophistical and Inconclusive ; 
the style diffuse and verbose. J. Warton, Essay on Pope. 
He was a man of English make, taciturn, of few words, 
no diffuse American talker. H*. Phillips, Speeches, p. 166. 
3f. Hard to understand; perplexing; requir- 
ing extended effort. 
The toun-clerk of the eid cite for the tyme beinge shall 
yeve no jugement in the Baillies name of the same cite for 
the tyme beynge, in or vppon eny diffuse matier biforn 
them, M ' <>u t the aduise of the Recordor of the same cite for 
the tyme beynge. English Gilds (E. E. T. S.), p. 400. 
Johnn Lydgate 
Wryteth after an hyer rate ; 
It is dyffute to fynde 
The sentence of his mynd. 
Skelton, Phyllyp Sparowe, 1. 806. 
Diffuse ganglion. See :/>iu.7li'n.=Sy&. 2. Loose, ram- 
bling, wordy, long-winded, diluted, spun out. 
diffused (<li-fuzd'), p.o. [Pp. of diffuse, .] 1. 
Spread; dispersed. 
It is the most flourishing, or, as they may be called, the 
dominant speeie* those whieh range widely, are the 
most diffused in their own country, and ;ire the most nu- 
diffusiometer 
niiT.iiis In iuilividiml.- ln<li <>ftenet produce well- 
marked varieties, or, as I c<niidt r tin -m, incipient specie*. 
Danrin, origin >{ SJM-. ir, p. 83. 
The gray hidden moon's diffu*vd soft light . . . 
11 U lea-gin lalund pi ivni >lid but show. 
William ilorrit, Earthly Paradise, I. 4O3. 
2f. Spread out ; extended ; stretched. 
See how he lies at random, carelessly diffused, 
With languUh'd head unpropp'd. 
Milton, 8. A., 1. 118. 
3f. Confused; irregular; wild; negligent. 
Let them from forth a saw-pit rush at on < 
With some diffused song. Shot., M. W. of W., Iv. 4. 
But | we | grow, like savages, . . . 
To swearing, and stern looks, diffut'tt attire, 
And everything that seems unnatural. 
Shak., Hen. V., T. Z. 
The strangest pageant, fashioned like a court, 
(As least I dreamt I saw It) so diffused, 
So painted, pled, and full of ralnliow strains, 
As never yet, either by time or place, 
Was made the food to my distasted sense. 
/:. Jonton, Cynthia's Revels, ill. 2. 
4. In rod'/., ill-defined ; without definite edges : 
applied to colored marks when they appear to 
merge gradually into the ground-color at their 
edges, and especially to marks on the wings of 
butterflies and moths when the scales forming 
them become scattered at the edges. 
diffusedly (di-fu'zed-li), adv. 1. In a diffused 
manner; with wide dispersion. 2f. Confused- 
ly; irregularly; negligently (as to dress). 
Go not so diffusedly ; 
There are great ladles purpose, sir, to visit you. 
Fletcher (and another t), Nice Valour, ill. 
Xode/ustdlie written that letters stood for whole words. 
Holinshed, Descrip. of Ireland, xxii. 
3. In zool., in a spreading manner; so as to 
fade into the surrounding parts: as, a mark 
diffusedly paler on one side. 
diffusedness (di-fu'zed-nes), n. The state of 
being widely spread. 
Mr. Warhurton's text, as well as all others, read "She 
would Infect to the north-star ; " and It is the diffiuedntss, 
or extent of her Infection, which is here described. 
T. Edwards, Canons of Criticism, xxii. 
diffusely (di-fus'li), adv. [< ME. diffuseli; < dif- 
fuse + -ly?.] 1. Widely; extensively. 
Pleas'd that her magic fame diffusely flies, 
Thus with a horrid smile the hag replies. 
Hoire, Lucan, vi. 
2. Copiously; amply; fully; prolixly. 
Luk . . . tellith more diffuseli how man stieth [as- 
cendeth) up to Qod, from Adam to the Trinite (Lnke Hi. 
23-38). Wydif, Select Works (ed. Arnold), I. 891. 
A sentiment which, expressed diffusely, will barely In 1 
admitted to be just ; expressed concisely, will be admired 
as spirited. Blair, Lectures, xviil. 
3. In entom., thinly and irregularly: as, a sur- 
face diffusely punctured. 
diffuseness (di-fus'ues), n. The quality of be- 
ing diffuse ; specifically, in speaking or writ- 
ing, want of concentration or conciseness ; pro- 
lixity. 
The difuxenms of Blue-Books has been a standard sub- 
ject of criticism since blue-Books began. 
Westminster Rev., CX XVIII. 594. 
diffuse! (di-fu'zer), . One who or that which 
diffuses; specifically, in physics, an apparatus 
consisting of a number of thin metal plates, 
designed to conduct away the heat of a thermo- 
electric battery by exposing a large surface to 
the air. Also spelled diffusor. 
It Is his mastery of ridicule which renders Sydney Smith 
so powerful as a diffuser of ideas, for In order to diffuse 
widely it is necessary to be able to address fools. 
Lady Holland, in Sydney Smith, ii. 
diffusibility (di-fu-zi-bil'i-ti), n. [< diffusible: 
see -bility.] The tendency of a fluid to pene- 
trate a contiguous fluid by the wandering of its 
molecules. 
Water is probably a liquid of a high degree of diffuri- 
Irility; at least it appears to diffuse four times more rapidly 
than alcohol, and four or six times more rapidly than the 
less diffusive salts. J. Graham, Phil. Trans., 1853, p. 178. 
diffusible (di-fu'zi-bl), a. [=F. diffusible; 
fiinf. + -ible.] Capable of diffusing, as a fluid; 
diffusive Diffusible stimulants. See stimulant. 
diffusibleness(di-fu'zi-bl-ne8), n. Diffusibility. 
Craig. 
diffusilet (di-fu'sil), a. [< L. diffusilis. diffu- 
sive, < diffusus, pp. of diffundere, diffuse : see 
. r.J Spreading. Bailey, 1727. 
diffusimeter (dif-u-sim'e-ter), n. Same as tUf- 
fllxinllli tl >'. 
diffusiometer (di-fu-si-om'e-ter), n. [Irreg. < 
L. diffiixio(H-), diffusion,-!- metrum, a measure.] 
An apparatus devised by Graham for ascer- 
taining the rate of diffusion between gases. 
It consists essentially of a tube, containing the gas under 
