diffused, ppl. a.
(dɪˈfjuːzd, poet. -ɪd)
Also 6–7 defused.
[f. diffuse v. + -ed1.]
I. † 1. Confused, distracted, disordered, obscure.
[Cf. diffuse a. 1, diffuse v. 6.]
| 1535 Coverdale Isa. xxxiii. 19 So diffused a language, that it maye not be vnderstonde. 1591 Greene Farew. Folly C iij b, I have seene an English gentleman so defused in his sutes, his doublet being for the weare of Castile, his hose for Venice, his hat for France. 1594 Shakes. Rich. III, i. ii. 78 Defus'd infection of man. 1599 ― Hen. V, v. ii. 61 Sterne Lookes, defus'd Attyre, And euery thing that seemes vnnaturall. 1608 R. Armin Nest Ninn. (1842) 6 The whole lumpe of this defused chaios. 1614 Bp. Hall Recoll. Treat. 845 There is no divine word (as Tertullian speaketh..) so dissolute and defused, that onely the words may be defended, and not the true meaning of the wordes set downe. |
II. 2. Spread abroad, widespread; dispersed over a large area; † covering a wide range of subjects (obs.). diffused lighting (see quot. 1926).
| 1610 Healey St. Aug. Citie of God xvi. ii. (1620) 541 Christ..in whose houses, that is, in whose Churches, the diffused Nations shall inhabite. For Iaphet is diffused. 1644 Digby Nat. Bodies (1645) ii. 123 Able to exempt themselves from defused powers. 1699 Bentley Phal. Introd. 15 Galen, with all his vast and diffused Learning. a 1715 Burnet Own Time (1766) I. 81 He had a most diffused love to all mankind. 1849 M. Somerville Connect. Phys. Sc. xxxvii. 413 The diffused light of myriads of stars. 1882 Vines Sachs' Bot. 748 Within two hours in direct sunlight, within six hours in diffused daylight. 1926 Gloss. Terms Electr. Engin. (B.S.I.) 146 Diffused lighting, a system of lighting in which the luminous flux, after passing through a diffusing medium, reaches the area to be illuminated, in part directly and in part indirectly. 1933 Discovery Aug. 251/2 Strip-lighting which flood-lights the walls and gives a diffused lighting to the room. |
† 3. = diffuse a. 3. Obs.
| 1579 Lyly Euphues (Arb.) 64 In pleadinge [there ought to be]..a difficulte enteraunce, and a defused [1636 diffused] determination. |