Main Entry:

dis·si·pate

Pronunciation:

\ˈdi-sə-ˌpāt\

Function:

verb

Inflected Form(s):

dis·si·pat·ed; dis·si·pat·ing

Etymology:

Latin dissipatus, past participle of dissipare, dissupare, from dis- + supare to throw

Date:

15th century

transitive verb1 a: to break up and drive off (as a crowd) b: to cause to spread thin or scatter and gradually vanish <one's sympathy is eventually dissipated — Andrew Feinberg> c: to lose (as heat or electricity) irrecoverably2: to spend or use up wastefully or foolishly <dissipated the family fortune in reckless business ventures>intransitive verb1: to break up and scatter or vanish <the clouds soon dissipated> <the team's early momentum has dissipated>2: to be extravagant or dissolute in the pursuit of pleasure ; especially : to drink to excess

synonyms see scatter

— dis·si·pat·er noun