To disperse is to spread something or someone over a wide area, or to cause a group to break up and move in different directions. It can describe people, particles, or even ideas.
From Latin 'dispergere' meaning 'to scatter, spread about', from 'dis-' and 'spargere' meaning 'to scatter, sprinkle'. The word has long been used both for physical and figurative spreading.
Disperse is like the opposite of 'gather'—imagine throwing a handful of sand into the wind. The same idea powers science terms like 'dispersion' in light, where colors spread out from a single beam.
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