1. The act of dispersing or of being dispersed. SYN: dispersal. 2. Incorporation of the particles of one substance into the mass of another, including solutions, suspensions, and colloidal dispersions (solutions). 3. Specifically, what is usually called a colloidal solution. 4. The extent or degree in which values of a statistical frequency distribution are scattered about a mean or median value. [L. dispersio]
- coarse d. SYN: suspension (4).
- molecular d. d. in which the dispersed phase consists of individual molecules; if the molecules are of less than colloidal size, the result is a true solution.
- optic rotatory d. (ORD) the change in optic rotation with the wavelength of the incident monochromatic polarized light; the displacement of the former from zero within the absorption band is known as the Cotton effect.
- temporal d. asynchronous repolarization of myocardial fibers that predisposes to abnormal current flow and ectopic rhythms (especially with bradyarrhythmias or ventricular tachyarrhythmias).
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dis·per·sion dis-'pər-zhən, -shən n
1) the act or process of dispersing: the state of being dispersed
2) the separation of light into colors by refraction or diffraction with formation of a spectrum also the separation of radiation into components in accordance with some varying characteristic (as energy)
3 a) a dispersed substance
b) a system consisting of a dispersed substance and the medium in which it is dispersed: COLLOID (2b) called also disperse system
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dis·per·sion (dis-purґzhən) [L. dispersio] 1. the act of scattering or separating; the condition of being scattered. 2. the incorporation of the particles of one substance into the body of another, comprising solutions, suspensions, and colloid systems. a 3. colloid system, particularly an unstable one.Medical dictionary. 2011.