Etymology Explorer › English

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

  1. That becomes dispersed; That causes dispersion

Ancestry of “dispersive”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishdisperseTo scatter in different directions; To break up...
2Middle Englishdispersioun—
3Old Frenchdispersion—
4LatindispertioI divide; I distribute; I assign
5Latindis-asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;...
6Latincalceusshoe
7Latincalxlimestone; chalk; the finish line
8Ancient Greekχάλιξsmall stone, pebble; gravel, rubble

Words derived from “dispersive”

  • dispersivity
  • nondispersive
  • dispersiveness
  • dispersively
  • monodispersive
  • polydispersive
  • polydispersivity
  • overdispersive
  • underdispersive
Every word from Ancient Greek χάλιξ →