Diffuse the situation

Simplifying its meanings considerably (I hope you’ll allow the unattached participle), if something diffuses, it spreads, and if you diffuse it, you spread it, e.g. information diffuses and you can diffuse it.

Sphere in an eye prescription indicates the person’s required lens power to be able to see clearly. Sphere on your prescription may be written as SPH and is measured using the unit diopters to correct either farsightedness or nearsightedness.

It is a moot point. Cobuild recognises it, but Collins, Macquarie and Merriam-Webster do not. Nor is it to be found in most dictionaries for learners of English, such as Cambridge, Macmillan, and the Oxford Advanced Learner’s. This suggests to me the possibility that, whereas the Cobuild editors acknowledged the weight of usage which is tending to legitimise what many people would still consider a mistake, the editors of dictionaries for learners prefer to discourage students from muddling up the two words. (It is also worth pointing out, incidentally, that the WordPress spellchecker flagged diffuse ire and diffuse tension in this blog, and asked if I meant defuse.)

Diffuse meaning in Hindi

In its literal meaning [sort of obviously, because it consists of the prefix de- + fuse (noun)], defuse means ‘to remove the fuse of an explosive device in order to prevent it from exploding’:

Yes, night blindness may be caused by myopia. Night blindness or reduced night vision can occur as a common symptom of myopia and other eye problems due to certain cells in the retina of the eye known as the rod cells not functioning. The retina is made up of rod cells which help us see light and cone cells which help us see colour. Night blindness does not necessarily mean you do not have vision during the night but rather that you have difficulty seeing clearly at night. If you are experiencing difficulty seeing during low light conditions or at night, it is important to see an optometrist.

At a pinch, this would work for “situation”, and possibly “tension”, but surely the only way to “diffuse” a bomb would be to blow it up – the exact opposite of what the Guardian meant. Significantly, oth “situation” and “tension” collocate with the adjective “explosive”.

Diffuse meaning Medical

Yes and no, while it is not necessary to learn how to read an eyeglasses prescription, it can be helpful to familiarize yourself with your specific vision requirements. It may also be useful to be able to understand what your prescription actually means, especially if you regularly use prescription glasses.

Nearsightedness and farsightedness are represented in diopters through the numbers that are displayed on your prescription. In front of these numbers, there will either be a minus (-) sign if you are nearsighted or a plus (+) sign if you are farsighted.

by Jeremy Butterfield.In Confusable Words, eggcorns, Help for writers & editors.3 Comments on To defuse or diffuse a situation? Commonly confused words (19-20)

The significance of eyeglasses prescriptions is their function of correcting refractive errors such as nearsightedness or farsightedness. An eyeglasses prescription is written by an eye health professional such as an optometrist or ophthalmologist and provides the necessary parameters required to make glasses that can correct the patient’s vision issues. Therefore, it is important to have your eyes checked regularly to ensure your prescriptions are always up to date and align accordingly with your visual requirements. The widely recommended frequency of eye tests is once every one to two years or once every year if you are over the age of 65. Glasses prescriptions are also important as they allow the optician to produce properly fitting frames.

However, that collocational shift still raises problems for me. If diffuse is ‘correct’ when used metaphorically, and in specific collocations, e.g. tension/row/controversy/crisis, why would it not be ‘correct’ when applied literally (i.e. ?he diffused the device). But, even though diffuse turns up several times with bomb and words in that set, it still feels completely wrong, at least to me. Of course, one could argue that diffuse in that metaphor is not motivated by a literal meaning, but that seems to fly in the face of what normally happens with metaphors.

Diffuse adjective

As regards US pronunciation, I think I see what you mean. On US dict websites the two are shown as different, but the i and e in US pron could be similar. But proportionally diffuse seems to be more common in BrE.

An example of a glasses prescription is if you have -1.00 under the term SPH (sphere), this indicates that you require 1 diopter of strength to correct nearsightedness. If there is a +2.50 on your prescription, this indicates that 2.5 diopters are needed to assist with farsightedness. The higher the number in this section, the more correction needed. Next to SPH, there is a column for cylinder which is where a number with a minus or plus may appear to indicate the extent of astigmatism in each eye. This column is then followed by more columns for Axis, Int ADD, ADD, H Prism and V Prism. An axis will have a number between 0 and 180 degrees to specify the right angle to correct astigmatism. ADD, which stands for addition, will signify how much magnification is required for near vision which is accompanied by a plus symbol. This indicates if you require reading glasses, or multifocal or bifocal lenses. Int ADD stands for intermediate addition and indicates the magnification needed for intermediate vision such as for computer use. Prism may be added to your prescription if you are experiencing double vision or have difficulty focusing. A possible example of a glasses prescription for astigmatism will include a number in the cylinder column of your prescription. According to the Vision Centre, astigmatism that measures from 1.00-2.00 diopters is considered mild, severe astigmatism is 2.00-3.00 and extreme astigmatism is 3.00 diopters and above.

Astigmatism is a refractive error that causes blurry or distorted vision due to the unusual shape of either the cornea or lens. The symptoms of astigmatism include the need to squint to see clearly, eye strain, headaches and trouble seeing at night. The exact cause of astigmatism is not known, however, can occur from genetics or after an eye injury or eye surgery according to the National Eye Institute. The cornea is the clear layer at the front of the eye and the lens is located in the eye behind the pupil.

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The Online Oxford Dictionary has a usage note (discussed later on); and the Cambridge Guide to Modern English Usage considers that when it comes to emotions (for example, as in the sample sentence above), the two distinct verbs overlap and converge.

Yes, the axis, sphere and cylinder do change as the shape of your eye changes. Even a small change in shape can result in significant changes to the axis, however, this is considered normal. An individual who uses prescription glasses may experience many changes to their eyesight as seen on their prescription throughout their life.

On the other hand, for example, in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, defusion strategies have a major role. They are meant to take the heat out of your thoughts and reactions. When I first heard them being mentioned, though, I really wasn’t sure if they were defusion or diffusion techniques. They could equally be diffusion techniques because they scatter and thereby neuter the emotions connected with thoughts.

The cylinder value affects vision correction as it measures how flat or irregularly shaped your cornea is which indicates the extent of your astigmatism. The cylinder value is important in vision correction as cylindrical lenses help to compensate for your cornea or lens’ uneven curves. Therefore, the cylinder column will assist with determining how much cylinder power is required.

I think you defuse something that can be described as “[potentially] explosive”, and you “diffuse” something that is made up of (usually very tiny) elements: light, water droplets, dust, etc.

The axis is important in treating astigmatism as it indicates the location of astigmatism in the eyes according to the Vision Centre. The axis is measured in degrees and ranges from 0 to 180.  Similarly to a map, the 180-degree line runs across the eye from east to west and the 90-degree line goes up and down, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology. For normal eyesight, your prescription would not have an axis number as having an axis number is only an indication of astigmatism present in the eye.

Sphere, cylinder and axis are terms you will find on your glasses prescription and are used to measure different aspects of your vision. The term sphere, which may be commonly written as SPH, refers to the lens power required to correct nearsightedness or farsightedness. Sphere is measured using the unit diopters and will indicate nearsightedness if there is a minus symbol in the sphere section or a plus symbol for farsightedness. Cylinder, also seen as CYL, on your prescription indicates the amount of lens power that is required for astigmatism. Axis on your prescription informs the optometrist which direction cylindrical power is positioned in the lens and is required for individuals with astigmatism. Continue reading to find out more about what is CYL in eye prescription, what is axis in glasses prescription and what does axis mean.

Sphere, cylinder and axis work together for clear vision as the cylinder in your prescription refers to the amount of astigmatism a person has. Axis is the number that ranges between 0 and 180 degrees which state the angle required to correct astigmatism, therefore, cylinder and axis cannot occur without each other as they work together to correct astigmatism. Sphere refers to the amount of nearsightedness and farsightedness and determines the strength needed to correct the patient’s vision.

But defuse has a near-homophone. It is, of course, the verb diffuse. The only thing that distinguishes it from defuse in speech is that its first vowel is a short i, /dɪˈfjuːz/, contrasting with the long i of /di:ˈfjuːz/, rhyming with tea.

Their collocations overlap very little: apart from noun objects, as shown below, the adverb quickly and the verbs try and attempt.

Diffuse synonym

(Because the subject of the intransitive use can be the object of the transitive, it falls into the class of verbs classified as ergative. The fullest explanation of the verb’s syntax is in the Cobuild Dictionary).

Astigmatism is measured in diopters on your prescription. The range that most people with astigmatism have is between 0.5 and 0.75 diopters according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology. If your astigmatism strength is 1.0 or more, you may likely require glasses and patients who do not have any astigmatism have 0 diopters.

To my mind, to diffuse something is to make it more diffuse, which means I’d only use “diffuse” for composite masses of things (you refer to “particles”).

Optometrists determine the axis value for astigmatism by using special tools during a complete eye exam. Optometrists can identify astigmatism through a refraction test, which helps to identify how the eyes bend light. The optometrist may likely point a bright light towards your eyes and get you to look through different lenses.

Astigmatism that is not corrected with eyewear may lead to the development of amblyopia mainly in children. Refractive amblyopia is a type of amblyopia that can develop when there is an imbalance in the focusing ability in the eyes as a result of astigmatism and other conditions. Uncorrected astigmatism may also lead to other complications such as eye strain and headaches. However, it is also important to note that not all eyewear prescriptions require astigmatism correction.

It also worth noting that both Cobuild and the Oxford note reproduced above have the same noun object collocate: tension.

There are eight noun objects with which they both collocate. They are listed in descending order, according to the ratio of occurrences of defuse to diffuse: situation, anger, confrontation, standoff, tension, row, crisis, bomb. The ratios range from just under 3:1 for situation to nearly 12:1 for bomb. In other words, for the most literal meaning, diffuse encroaches far less on defuse than it does with less literal meanings.

Diffuse meaning

‘To diffuse a feeling, especially an undesirable one, means to cause it to weaken and lose its power to affect people’: The arrival of letters from the Pope did nothing to diffuse the tension.

In absolute rank order as collocates of diffuse, the order for the nouns listed above is: situation, tension, crisis, bomb, anger, row, confrontation, standoff.

What diffuses/is diffused can be abstract or concrete, and in the latter case it has a specific physical meaning when light is involved: ‘to cause light to spread evenly to reduce glare and harsh shadows’, e.g. The morning light was diffused to a mucky orange by the pollution of the shuddering city.

However, ‘spreading’ is not the only meaning of to diffuse, and it is here that its physical meaning of ‘dispersing’ light comes into play. Light that is diffused is made softer and less intense, so I suppose that diffusing tension disperses it and thereby renders it less potent. I follow the logic of the Oxford editor’s argument, even though it still reads like special pleading to this old fuddy-duddy (what a wonderful word that is!).

One quite often comes across sentences using diffuse with nouns which seem more appropriate to defuse, both in its literal—bomb, explosive—and metaphorical meanings—crisis, situation, tension, anger, conflict. Are these mistakes or legitimate extensions of meaning and collocation?

I find myself considerably (if one can be, linguistically speaking) in (or of, in the US) two minds. On the one hand, since this form is especially common in newspapers and transcripts, I suspect that urgent deadlines are often responsible, not to mention a certain amount of journalistic sloppiness. If I’m being over-literal, to my mind diffuse = ‘to spread’, and therefore diffusing tension spreads it rather than dissipating it.

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Another thing occurred to me this morning: aren’t the two words more likely to be confused in US English than in GB, because in American English their pronunciation is more similar (or even identical)?

In the OEC, these two lemmas do not differ much in frequency: they occur just over twice in every million words of text (compared to, say, ‘big’, which occurs nearly 400 times per million).

Diffuse AI

So, I can see that there may well be a shift in collocational primings going on. In other words, more and more people are psychologically primed by their experience of the word diffuse to associate it with the semantic set of tension, crisis, etc, and to associate that set with diffuse rather than defuse.

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No, you cannot have a cylinder value without an axis in a prescription as they work in conjunction to correct astigmatism. If your prescription includes cylinder power, a corresponding axis value is also included and follows the cylinder power.

‘Diffuse means, broadly, “disperse”, while the non-literal meaning of defuse is “reduce the danger or tension in”. Thus sentences such as Cooper successfully diffused the situation are regarded as incorrect, while Cooper successfully defused the situation would be correct. However, such uses of diffuse are widespread, and can make sense: the image in, for example, “only peaceful dialogue between the two countries could diffuse tension” is not of making a bomb safe but of reducing something dangerous to particles and dispersing them harmlessly.

Diffuse app

Thanks for the comment, Martyn. When I started writing this, I thought diffuse is wrong in all circumstances. Now my view has changed slightly, though I would never use it myself. However, at a pinch, for me it works with emotions and tension, but with nothing else. With standoff and the others listed I find it odd. Someone has commented in a forum as follows: “and sorry for the devil’s-advocate position here, but it may actually be something that bears a touch of consideration), the misuse of “diffuse” does make at least a wee bit of sense if you look at one of its implied definitions in context. Think about things that are subject to diffusion (gases, suspensions, solutions, etc.) and ask yourself what /happens/ to them: they start out at a high concentration but are spread out enough to lower the concentration (and, by extension, the /efficacy/) greatly. A room that is thick with tension, for example, just might give the impression of the tension’s being /diffused/”. I can see that argument.

“To diffuse a standoff” also sounds very odd to me: as if it involves the protagonists physically moving away from each other, which again it doesn’t necessarily mean (you can defuse a standoff by getting the people involved to continue the discussion more calmly).

Most dictionaries do not accept this use of diffuse, but Cobuild, a dictionary for learners of English as a foreign language, does. Presumably, as an impeccably corpus-based venture, its authors examined the evidence of actual use.

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Yes, astigmatism does have different types of lenses for vision correction. People with astigmatism require cylindrical or spherocylindrical lenses which differ from single vision glasses lenses that correct shortsightedness and farsightedness. The different types of lenses which include cylindrical or spherical lenses help patients with astigmatism as they assist with refracting light correctly onto the retina of the eye.

in its literal sense, according to the OED, it’s a relative newcomer (1943). As a metaphor (1958), it refers to making a situation less dangerous or volatile. In other words, a situation is conceived of as something explosive, like a bomb. Things that people typically defuse (noun objects of the verb) are situation(s), crisis/crises, tension(s), anger, conflict(s), row(s):