DIFFUSION
Dictionary entry overview: What does diffusion mean?
• DIFFUSION (noun)
The noun DIFFUSION has 4 senses:
1. (physics) the process of diffusing; the intermingling of molecules in gases and liquids as a result of random thermal agitation
2. the spread of social institutions (and myths and skills) from one society to another
3. the property of being diffused or dispersed
4. the act of dispersing or diffusing something
Familiarity information: DIFFUSION used as a noun is uncommon.
Dictionary entry details
• DIFFUSION (noun)
Meaning:
(physics) the process of diffusing; the intermingling of molecules in gases and liquids as a result of random thermal agitation
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural processes
Hypernyms ("diffusion" is a kind of...):
action; activity; natural action; natural process (a process existing in or produced by nature (rather than by the intent of human beings))
Domain category:
natural philosophy; physical science; physics (the science of matter and energy and their interactions)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "diffusion"):
osmosis (diffusion of molecules through a semipermeable membrane from a place of higher concentration to a place of lower concentration until the concentration on both sides is equal)
permeation; pervasion; suffusion (the process of permeating or infusing something with a substance)
transport (an exchange of molecules (and their kinetic energy and momentum) across the boundary between adjacent layers of a fluid or across cell membranes)
Meaning:
The spread of social institutions (and myths and skills) from one society to another
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural events
Hypernyms ("diffusion" is a kind of...):
spread; spreading (process or result of distributing or extending over a wide expanse of space)
Domain category:
mythology (myths collectively; the body of stories associated with a culture or institution or person)
Meaning:
The property of being diffused or dispersed
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Synonyms:
dissemination; diffusion
Hypernyms ("diffusion" is a kind of...):
dispersion; distribution (the spatial property of being scattered about over an area or volume)
Meaning:
The act of dispersing or diffusing something
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Synonyms:
dispersal; dispersion; dissemination; diffusion
Context examples:
the dispersion of the troops / the diffusion of knowledge
Hypernyms ("diffusion" is a kind of...):
spread; spreading (act of extending over a wider scope or expanse of space or time)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "diffusion"):
crop-dusting; spraying (the dispersion of fungicides or insecticides or fertilizer on growing crops (often from a low-flying aircraft))
