Word Confusion: Defuse versus Diffuse

Posted June 8, 2015 by Kathy Davie in Author Resources, Self-Editing, Word Confusions, Writing

Revised as of
7 Nov 2022

I was watching the final episode of The Unit — and just to make sure it was the last one, I read the episode summary. Oops.

“The Unit must locate and diffuse three sets of dirty bombs . . .”

Now, I’m guessing they did not intend to ensure the bombs dispersed, and if an editor had edited this summary, they’d’a caught it. ‘Cause I’m damn sure they meant for The Unit to defuse those bombs.

I suppose they could’a meant a stink bomb . . . you know how the boys are in trying to spread those around…

Word Confusions . . .

. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end. Consider sharing this Word Confusion with friends by tweeting it.

Defuse	Diffuse
Summit County Bomb Squad’s Ford E-350 by Raymond Wambsgans from Akron, Ohio, USA, is under the CC BY-SA 2.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. — The Akron Sheriff’s Bomb Squad is tasked with defusing a bomb.	Candle-based Diffuser was uploaded by Eggybird under the CC BY 2.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. — This diffuser uses a lit candle to heat the oil to scatter its fragrance.
Part of Grammar:
Verb, transitive Third person present verb: defuses Past tense or past participle: defused Present participle: defusing	Adjective; Verb, intransitive & transitive Third person present verb: diffuses Past tense or past participle: diffused Present participle: diffusing
Reduce the danger or tension Remove the fuse from (an explosive device) in order to prevent it from exploding Reduce the danger or tension in (a difficult situation)	Disperse, scatter Adjective: Spread out over a large area Not concentrated [Of disease] Not localized in the body Lacking clarity or conciseness Verb, intransitive: Spread or cause to spread over a wide area or among a large number of people Become or cause (a fluid, gas, individual atom, etc.) to become intermingled with a substance by movement, typically in a specified direction or at specified speed Verb, transitive: Spread or cause to spread over a wide area or among a large number of people Become or cause (a fluid, gas, individual atom, etc.) to become intermingled with a substance by movement, typically in a specified direction or at specified speed Cause (light) to glow faintly by dispersing it in many directions
Examples:
The bomb squad tried to defuse the grenade. He had the ability to defuse tense moments with humor. The Unit must locate and defuse three sets of dirty bombs.	Adjective: The diffuse community centered on the church. Depending on the shot, a photographer may use tools to create a more diffuse light. Diffuse hyperplasia of the thyroid gland is an autoimmune condition in which excess thyroid hormone production is unchecked. The second argument is more diffuse. Verb, intransitive: Technologies diffuse rapidly. Oxygen molecules diffuse across the membrane. Verb, transitive: The problem is how to diffuse power without creating anarchy. Gas is diffused into the bladder.
Derivatives:
Noun: defuser, defusing	Adjective: nondiffuse, nondiffused Adverb: diffusely Noun: diffuseness, diffusing, diffusion Verb: interdiffuse, interdiffused, interdiffusing
History of the Word:
It was first recorded in 1940–45: de- + fuse.	Late Middle English from the Latin diffus- meaning poured out, from the verb diffundere, which is from dis- (away) + fundere (pour). The adjective is via the French diffus or the Latin diffusus meaning extensive from diffundere.

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C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!

Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.

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