Where does “dispersive” come from?
Dispersive comes from French dispersif, derived from Latin dispersus, the past participle of dispergere, meaning to scatter or spread abroad, from the prefix dis- and vergere, to turn or incline.
dispersive (English): That becomes dispersed; That causes dispersion
Definitions
- That becomes dispersed; That causes dispersion
Ancestry of “dispersive”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | disperse | To scatter in different directions; To break up... |
| 2 | Middle English | dispersioun | — |
| 3 | Old French | dispersion | — |
| 4 | Latin | dispertio | I divide; I distribute; I assign |
| 5 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 6 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 7 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |