1. Wanting confidence in others; distrustful. [Archaic]
You were always extremely diffident of their success.
Melmoth. 2. Wanting confidence in one's self; distrustful of one's own powers; not self-reliant; timid; modest; bashful; characterized
by modest reserve.
The diffident maidens,
Folding their hands in prayer.
Longfellow. Syn. — Distrustful; suspicious; hesitating; doubtful; modest; bashful; lowly; reserved.
Diffidently
(Dif"fi*dent*ly), adv. In a diffident manner.
To stand diffidently against each other with their thoughts in battle array.
Hobbes. Diffind
(Dif*find) v. t. [L. diffindere, diffissum; dif- = dis- + findere to split.] To split. [Obs.] Bailey.
Diffine
(Dif*fine") v. t. To define. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Diffinitive
(Dif*fin"i*tive) a. [For definitive.] Definitive; determinate; final. [Obs.] Sir H. Wotton.
Diffission
(Dif*fis"sion) n. [See Diffind.] Act of cleaving or splitting. [R.] Bailey.
Difflation
(Dif*fla"tion) n. [LL. difflatio, fr. L. difflare, difflatum, to disperse by blowing.] A blowing
apart or away. [Obs.] Bailey.
Diffluence
(Dif"flu*ence Dif"flu*en*cy) n. A flowing off on all sides; fluidity. [R.]
Diffluent
(Dif"flu*ent) a. [L. diffluens, p. pr. of diffluere to flow off; dif- = dis- + fluere to flow.] Flowing
apart or off; dissolving; not fixed. [R.] Bailey.
Difform
(Dif"form`) a. [Cf. F. difforme, fr. L. dif- = dis- + forma form. Cf. Deform.] Irregular in form; —
opposed to uniform; anomalous; hence, unlike; dissimilar; as, to difform corolla, the parts of which do not
correspond in size or proportion; difform leaves.
The unequal refractions of difform rays.
Sir I. Newton. Difformity
(Dif*form"i*ty) n. [Cf. F. difformité. See Difform, Deformity.] Irregularity of form; diversity of
form; want of uniformity. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.
Diffract
(Dif*fract") v. t. [imp. & p. p. Diffracted; p. pr. & vb. n. Diffracting.] [L. diffractus, p. p. of
diffringere to break in pieces; dif- = dis- + frangere to break. See Fracture.] To break or separate into
parts; to deflect, or decompose by deflection, a rays of light.
Diffraction
(Dif*frac"tion) n. [Cf. F. diffraction.] (Opt.) The deflection and decomposition of light in
passing by the edges of opaque bodies or through narrow slits, causing the appearance of parallel bands
or fringes of prismatic colors, as by the action of a grating of fine lines or bars.
Remarked by Grimaldi and referred by him to a property of light which he called diffraction.
Whewell. Diffraction grating. (Optics) See under Grating. — Diffraction spectrum. (Optics) See under
Spectrum.
Diffractive
(Dif*frac"tive) a. That produces diffraction.
Diffranchise
(Dif*fran"chise Dif*fran"chise*ment) . See Disfranchise, Disfranchisement.
