dissipation

Everyday

1. (science) Dissipation is the slow spreading out and loss of something, especially energy, heat or a cloud, until it fades away. tree →
2. Wasting money, time or effort. tree →
3. (old-fashioned, disapproving) Living a wild life of too much drinking and pleasure. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons on energy: some energy is «dissipated» as heat and sound, so no machine is perfectly efficient. In weather, clouds and fog dissipate. In older stories, dissipation describes a wasteful, unhealthy life. Phrases: «heat dissipation», «energy dissipation».

Examples

• A car engine loses energy through the dissipation of heat. tree →
• The dissipation of the fog made the road safe again. tree →
• The fan helps the dissipation of heat from the computer. tree →
• The storm weakened, and its dissipation took a day. tree →
• In the old novel, the rich young man ruined his health with dissipation. tree →
• The dissipation of his savings left him poor. tree →

Note

Uncountable. Verb: «dissipate». In physics, energy is not destroyed when it dissipates; it spreads out, usually as heat. Formal word.