An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics
English-French-Persian

A lack of → order. See → entropy.

→ dis-; → order.

Birâyegi, from birâyé, → disordered, + -(g)i noun suffix.

Lacking → order.

→ disorder + -ed.

Birâyé, from bi- "without," → a-, + râyé, → order.

1) To spread or distribute from a fixed or constant source.
2) To become dispersed.

M.E., from M.Fr. disperser "scatter," from L. dispersus, p.p. of dispergere "to scatter," from → dis- "apart" + spargere "to scatter," from PIE base *(s)pregh- "to scatter;" cf. Av. spareg- "to germinate, shoot, sprout," fra-sparəγa- "shoot, sprout," Skt. parjanya- "rain, rain god," Lith. spurgas "sprout."

Pâšidan "to scatter, sprinkle," az ham pâšidan "to scatter on all sides;" cf. Gazi pâšn-/pâšnâ "to scatter, spread," Lor. perxa "sprinkling;" Av. paršat.gauu- "having a speckled cow;" Skt. prs- "to sprinkle," parsati "sprinkles;" Toch. pärs- "to sprinkle;" Lith. purškiu "I spray;" PIE roor *pers- "to spray, sprinkle."

1) The resolution of white light into its component wavelengths, either by → refraction or by → diffraction. Dispersion is actually an effect in which radiations having → different wavelengths travel at different speeds in the medium. Since the → angle of refraction of each radiation vary as a function of its → wavelength, the component waves deviate from each other.
2) The rate of change of → refractive index with wavelength: dn/dλ. → Cauchy's equation shows that dispersion varies approximately as the inverse cube of the wavelength.
3) The selective → retardation of → radio waves when they propagate through a → plasma. As a result, higher → frequency waves from a → pulsar will arrive at the Earth before the lower frequencies due to the presence of → intervening → ionized gas in the → interstellar medium. → dispersion measure.
4) Statistics: The spread of values of a → variable around the → mean or → median of a → distribution.

Verbal noun of → disperse.

A graph displaying the variation of the → refractive index of a substance against the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave passing through the substance.

→ dispersion; → curve.

An equation representing the variation of → refractive index as a function of → wavelength; for example → Cauchy's equation and → Sellmeier's equation.

→ dispersion; → equation.

A parameter used in radio astronomy which describes the amount of dispersion in a radio signal due to its passage through an intervening plasma. It is proportional to the product of the interstellar electron density and the distance to the source.

→ dispersion; → measure.

An equation that describes how the → angular frequency, ω, of a wave depends on its → wave number, k. For the simplest of waves, where the speed of propagation, c, is a constant, ω(k) = ck. If the → phase velocity depends on k, that is for a dispersive medium, the function ω(k) is nonlinear.

→ dispersion; → relation.

Tending or serving to disperse.

From → disperse + → -ive.

The reciprocal of the → dispersive power.

→ dispersive; → index.

A medium in which the → phase velocity is a function of → wave number (→ frequency).

→ dispersive; → medium.

A measure of the ability of a medium to separate different colors of light. It is defined by: (n₂ - n₁)/(n - 1), where  n₁ and n₂ are refractive indices at two specified widely differing wavelengths, and n is the → index of refraction for the average of these wavelengths.

→ dispersive; → power.

Physics: A vector quantity that specifies the change of position of a body or particle from the mean position or position of rest.
Geology: The offset of rocks caused by movement along a fault.

From displace, from → dis- + place + -ment.

Jâ bé jâyi, noun of jâ bé jâ literally "place to place," from jâ "place," from Mid.Pers. giyag "place," O.Pers. ā-vahana- "place, village," Av. vah- "to dwell, stay," vanhaiti "he dwells, stays," Skt. vásati "he dwells," Gk. aesa (nukta) "to pass (the night)," Ossetic wat "room; bed; place," Tokharian B wäs- "to stay, wait;" PIE base ues- "to stay, live, spend the night."

In electromagnetism, a quantity which is not a real current (movement of charge), but has the units of current and has an associated magnetic field. The physical meaning of this displacement current is that a changing electric field makes a changing magnetic field.

→ displacement; → current.

1a) To show; make visible.
1b) Of computers, to show the output data on a screen.
2a) The act of displaying.
2b) Of computers, a visual representation of information.

From O.Fr. despleier "to unfold, spread out," from L. displicare "to scatter," from → dis- "un-, apart" + plicare "to fold, twist," from PIE base *plek- "to plait, twist" (cf. Gk. plekein "to plait," L. plectere "to plait, braid, intertwine," Av. frašna- "helmet" (in ərəzatô.frašna- "having a silver helmet" (epithet of Mithra), Skt. praśna- "turban," O.H.G. flehtan "to plait," Russ. plesti "to plait").

Nemudan, nemâyândan "to show, display," from Mid.Pers. nimūdan, present stem nimây- "to show," from O.Pers./Av. ni- "down; into," → ni-, + māy- "to measure," cf. Skt. mati "measures," matra- "measure," PIE base *me- "to measure;" cf. Gk. metron "measure," L. metrum.

1) To incur the dissatisfaction, dislike, or disapproval of; offend; annoy.
2) To be unpleasant; cause displeasure (Dictionary.com).

→ dis-; → please.

Dissatisfaction, disapproval, or annoyance.

→ dis-; → pleasure.

An act or instance of disqualifying; the state of being disqualified.

→ disqualify; → -tion.

(of a person) declared ineligible for an office, activity, or competition because of an offence or infringement (OxfordDictionaries.com).

→ dis-; → qualified.

To deprive of qualification or fitness; render unfit; incapacitate (Dictionary.com).

→ dis-; → qualify.