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 verb 1 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) irrecoverably
2 : to spend or use up wastefully or foolishly <dissipated the family fortune in reckless business ventures>intransitive verb 1 : 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