dispel
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Etymology
From Middle English dispelen, from Latin dispellere (“to disperse; to dispel”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [dɪˈspɛɫ]
Audio (Southern England): (file) - Hyphenation: di‧spel
- Rhymes: -ɛl
Verb
dispel (third-person singular simple present dispels, present participle dispelling, simple past and past participle dispelled)
- (transitive) To drive away or cause to vanish by scattering.
- (transitive) To remove (fears, doubts, objections etc.) by proving them unjustified.
- 1906, Stanley J[ohn] Weyman, chapter I, in Chippinge Borough, New York, N.Y.: McClure, Phillips & Co., →OCLC, page 01:
- It was April 22, 1831, and a young man was walking down Whitehall in the direction of Parliament Street. […]. He halted opposite the Privy Gardens, and, with his face turned skywards, listened until the sound of the Tower guns smote again on the ear and dispelled his doubts.
Collocations
- dispel a cloud
- dispel rumours
- dispel cares
- dispel doubts
- dispel illusions
- dispel objections
- dispel vapors
Derived terms
Translations
to drive away by scattering
|
to remove fears etc.
|
Noun
dispel (plural dispels)
- An act or instance of dispelling.
- 2008, Caitlin Kittredge, Night Life:
- “My dispel didn't work,” she said finally. “He wasn't a blood witch, Sunny,” I said.
Related terms
Anagrams
Wikiwand in your browser!
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
