English → Latin
“diffuse” in Latin
diffundōto diffuse, scatter; to decant, spread or pour outdifferōto carry different ways, spread, scatter, disperse, separate; to distract, disquiet or disturb someone; confound; to sprcircumferōto carry, bear or move around or about; carry or move around in a circle; to publish abroad, proclaim, circulate, divulgcircumfundōto pour out or round; to surround with liquid; to crowd around; to overwhelmdissēminōto broadcast, disseminatespargōto scatter, strew, sprinkle, sparkle; to throw here and there, cast, hurl, throw aboutdispergōto scatter (about) or dispersevulgōto broadcast; to publish; to divulge; to issue; to make known among the people; to make common; to prostitute; to make kdīvulgōto spread among the people, make common, publish, divulgepervulgōto publish (make publicly known)
The English word diffuse itself goes back to Latin fundō, through diffūsus.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
diffuse v.
diffundere (to pour out into different parts, to spread, PROP., and figuratively; e.g., sanguis per venas in omne corpus diffunditur; a mistaken notion that is widely diffused, error longe lateque diffusus): differre (to carry hither and thither; PROP. and figuratively, ignem, rumorem, famam; hence, also = to spread as a report): circumferre (to carry about; PROP. and figuratively, pacis bona, Velleius; incendia, caedes, terrorem, Tac.; of spreading a rumour, etc., not pre-Augustan, ; Col., Plin.): circumfundere (to pour around, aliquid alicui rei, or absolutely; figuratively, voluptates, Liv.; nitorem, Quint.): disseminare (sow here and there; scatter about; e.g., sermonem, malum): spargere: dispergere (scatter; figuratively, e.g., rumorem): vulgare: divulgare: pervulgare (to briny it to the knowledge of people; e.g., rumorem, rem): evulgare: in vulgus edere (to publish what ought to be kept secret). To diffuse joy, laetitiam dare (e.g., among my enemies, inimicis meis); laetitia afficere (e.g., among the Roman people, populum Romanum): a false opinion of anybody that is widely diffused, vulgata falso de aliquo opinio: a society that is very widely diffused, societas latissime patens. To be diffused, se diffundere: diffundi (PROP. and figuratively): serpere (to creep about; to extend itself gradually; PROP. and figuratively): increbrescere (to grow frequent, common, strong, etc.; of reports, customs, etc.). To be widely diffused, late diffundi or se diffundere (PROP.; e.g., of boughs; then, figuratively, of reports, mistakes): late serpere (of what spreads widely, but gradually; e.g., of fire, the vine; then figuratively, of reports): longius serpere atque progredi (of an evil): serpere manareque in dies latius (of a daily increasing evil): longe lateque fluere (e.g., of a doctrine or creed, doctrina Pythagorae). To be diffused through or over anything, diffundi or se diffundere per or in aliquid (e.g., in omne corpus); pervadere per aliquid. Vid: SPREAD.
diffuse adj.
longius progrediens, evagans: praeter modum longus (lengthy): muitus (one who gives much): nimius (one who gives too much): verbosus (using many words where few words might serve): copiosus (with abundance of words and matter): longus (long). [☞ Prolixus is unclassical in this sense.] A diffuse style of oratory, vagum orationis genus; oratio vagans: to be diffuse, latius, uberius dicere, disputare; pluribus dicere; multa verba facere de re: to be very diffuse, late or latius se fundere; longum esse; multum esse in aliqua re: to be too diffuse, effusius dicere; nimium esse in aliqua re: cf., diffusus must be used cautiously (e.g., opus diffusum: diffusus per multa volumina. Cic. has oratio collatata et diffusa; opposed to angusta et concisa [Or., 56, 187]; diffusus et dissipatus; of materials existing without classification).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for diffuse?
- The usual Latin words for “diffuse” are diffundō, differō, circumferō; also circumfundō, dissēminō, spargō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.