dispersion

 
Pronunciation: /dɪˈspəːʃ(ə)n/

noun

[mass noun]
  • 1the action or process of distributing things or people over a wide area: some seeds rely on birds for dispersion
  • the state of being dispersed: the study looks at the dispersion of earnings with OECD member countries
  • Ecology the pattern of distribution of individuals within a habitat.
  • (also the Dispersion)another term for diaspora.
  • [count noun] a mixture of one substance dispersed in another medium: the virus is transmitted in the dispersion of droplets which results from sneezing or coughing
  • 2 Physics the separation of white light into colours or of any radiation according to wavelength.
  • 3 Statistics the extent to which values of a variable differ from a fixed value such as the mean.

Origin:

late Middle English: from late Latin dispersio(n-), from Latin dispergere (see disperse)