Link Centre Dictionary

dissipate

dis·si·pate

UK/ˈdɪsɪpeɪt/ US/ˈdɪsʌˌpeɪt/ rare dated obsolete

verb

1.

to cause to separate and go in different directions

  • “She waved her hand and scattered the crowds”
Synonyms
2.

move away from each other

  • “The crowds dispersed”
  • “The children scattered in all directions when the teacher approached”
Synonyms
3.
4.

Origin

The verb is first attested in 1425, in Middle English, the adjective from 1606 to 1765; from Middle English dissipaten, from Latin dissipātus, perfect passive participle of dissipō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), also written dissupō (“to scatter, disperse, demolish, destroy, squander, dissipate”), from dis- (“apart”) + supō (“to throw”). Doublet of dissipe (“to dissipate”), now obsolete.

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.