disperdere

Disperdere is the Italian verb meaning to cause to scatter, to spread out, or to dissipate. It can refer to physical dispersion—scattering objects, particles, or a crowd—as well as to figurative meanings such as wasting time, energy, or resources. The verb is used transitively (disperdere qualcosa) and can appear in intransitive or reflexive forms when the subject itself disperses (si disperde, si disperde una folla).

Examples of usage include: il vento disperde le nuvole (the wind disperses the clouds); la polizia ha disperso la folla (the police dispersed the crowd); ha disperso tempo ed energie (he wasted time and energy); la luce si disperde nell’atmosfera (the light disperses in the atmosphere).

Conjugation and forms follow the pattern of regular -ere verbs. Present indicative: io disperdo, tu disperdi, lui disperde, noi disperdiamo, voi disperdete, loro disperdono. Imperfect: disperdevo, disperdevi, disperdeva, disperdevamo, disperdevate, disperdevano. Past participle: disperso; auxiliary: avere (ho disperso). Reflexive use: disperdersi (la folla si è dispersa).

Etimology: disperdere derives from the prefix dis- (indicating separation) attached to perdere, via Latin roots such as dispersus and dispergere. The sense evolution centers on breaking apart or scattering something that was once together.

See also: dispersed, dispersione, disperso, disperdersi, dissipare. Related verbs include dissipare, which shares the sense of spreading or wasting but with different nuances, particularly in energy or resources.

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