dispelled

Dispelled is the past tense and past participle of the verb dispel. The core sense is to cause something to disappear or to drive it away, as if by scattering. It is used for both physical phenomena and abstract concepts, for example: “The sunlight dispelled the morning mist” or “The report dispelled doubts about the project.”

Etymology and sense evolution: The word comes from dis- (apart) + pellere (to drive) from Latin, passing into English via Old French and Middle English. The figurative use—removing doubts, fears, or misconceptions—developed in the medieval period and remains common in contemporary English.

Usage and usage notes: Dispel is typically transitive, taking a direct object such as a myth, rumor, doubt, fear, or gloom. It often appears in phrases like dispel a myth, dispel rumors, dispel doubts, or dispel gloom. In standard writing, the form is dispel in the present tense (they dispel) and dispelled in the past tense. The spelling dispell with two l’s is considered archaic or nonstandard in modern usage, and dispatching forms such as “disspell” are incorrect.

Related terms and distinctions: Expel implies ejecting something from a place or group, rather than removing a belief or impression. Dissipate conveys gradual vanishing, often of a physical phenomenon or intangible feeling, but without the explicit sense of removing a misconception. Dispel is the precise term for removing doubts, myths, or gloom through clarification or evidence.