Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Spreading out loosely.
  • intransitive verb To pour out (a liquid).
  • intransitive verb To radiate; diffuse.
  • intransitive verb To spread or flow out.
  • intransitive verb To ooze forth; exude.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To pour out, as a fluid; spill; shed.
  • Poured out freely; profuse.
  • In botany: Very loosely spreading, as a panicle, etc.
  • In lichenology, spread out without definite form or figure: opposed to effigurate.
  • In zoology: In conchology, applied to shells where the aperture is not whole behind, but the lips are separated by a gap or groove.
  • In entomology, loosely joined; composed of parts which are almost separated from one another: opposed to compact or coarctate.
  • To flow, as a fluid, through an aperture or through a porous partition the openings in which are large compared with the diameter of a molecule.
  • noun Effusion; outpouring; loss; waste.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb rare To pour out like a stream or freely; to cause to exude; to shed.
  • adjective obsolete Poured out freely; profuse.
  • adjective obsolete Disposed to pour out freely; prodigal.
  • adjective (Bot.) Spreading loosely, especially on one side.
  • adjective (Zoöl.) Having the lips, or edges, of the aperture abruptly spreading; -- said of certain shells.
  • intransitive verb To emanate; to issue.
  • noun Effusion; loss.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective spread out
  • verb transitive to emit; to give off
  • verb figuratively to gush; to be excitedly talkative and enthusiastic about something
  • verb intransitive to leak out through a small hole

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb give out or emit (also metaphorically)
  • verb flow or spill forth
  • verb pour out

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin effūsus, past participle of effundere, to pour out : ex-, ex- + fundere, to pour; see gheu- in Indo-European roots.]

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Examples

Comments

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  • I will effuse egotism and show it underlying all, and I will be the

    bard of personality

    Whitman, "Starting from Paumanok"

    January 9, 2008

  • Citation on muskiness.

    June 22, 2008