dis-, di-, dif-

Characterized by care and perseverance in carrying out tasks; especially, in detail or exactness: Monroe was diligent in writing his short stories with literary accuracy and interesting characters.

Josh was a diligent worker and so his supervisor felt that he deserved a pay increase.

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A description of something that is done in a careful and detailed way.

1. To make thinner or less concentrated by adding a liquid, such as water: Shirley was diluting the thick soup with hot milk to make it thinner and milder.
2. To lessen the force, strength, purity, or brilliance of, especially by admixture (mixing or mingling): The bright moonlight tended to dilute the effect of the light on the majestic waterfalls.
3. Reduced in strength as a result of containing an added liquid: The bitterness of the vinegar can be mitigated by diluting it with equal quantities of water.

A liquid extraction that has a lower concentration of material which is being extracted: Dr. Rogers and the chemists were excited with the results of the dilute phase of their newest chemical experiment.

Something which makes a fluid thinner or more liquid by combining or mixing another substance into it: Water is an excellent dilutor for thick or concentrated soup or a frozen lemonade mixture.

1. The reduction or the weakening or the concentration of something with a thinner: The recipe called for a dilution of one part concentrate to two parts water.
2. A liquid which has been made thiner, by the addition of another element, such as water: Typically the dilution of frozen juice is done to a specific ratio.

The speed or pace at which populations are made weaker or smaller because of a lack of births and immigration: The annual statistics gathered by the government tracked the dilution rates of the various groups of people.

A reference to that which can be weakened, made thinner or less concentrated, by adding some other liquid: The dilutive strength of the new fluid in the test tube was untested and was part of the ongoing experiment.

1. A reference to or that which is caused by a flood: The diluvial damage by the heavy rains on the plain was extensive.
2. Relating to the Great Flood described in the Bible: Many authors have written apocryphal (unverified, not certain) stories about the diluvial effects and outcomes of the Biblical floods.

That which is relating to, or produced by a torrent: The diluvian aftermath was particularly devastating for the villages in the lowlands along the river.

Fred and Athena experienced the most diluvian destruction of their home because of the recent heavy rain.

The sediments or deposits of topsoil, sand, gravel, stones, etc. on the bottom of a river as the result of the flow of rivers, or the melting of glacial ice: The diluvium in the tributary was layered because of the fast currents of the rapids.

The layers of glacial diluvium are often very dense, sometimes indicating accumulations that have taken place over centuries.

1. To make something smaller or less important, or to become smaller or less important; to reduce in bulk or amount; to lessen; opposed to augment or increase.
2. To lessen the authority or dignity of; to put down; to degrade; to abase; to weaken.
3. To contract a perfect or minor musical interval by one semitone.
4. To take away; to subtract; to decrease, lessen, abate, reduce, contract, curtail, impair, degrade.
5. To appear smaller, or to make something appear smaller.

1. Referring to the shortest way without any diversion: Mary didn’t want to transfer planes on her way from Toronto to Frankfurt, so she took the direct route.
2. Pertaining to a light or heat source which is not blocked or reflected: The direct rays of the sun were not good for the plants in Jane’s garden because they needed shade instead.
3. Concerning something which takes place without any interference or go-betweens: The direct results of Mary’s baking were fabulous cookies, which smelled fantastic and tasted delicious!
4. Characteristic of someone who is being frank and straight to the point: Tom wanted to be very direct and say exactly what he meant and not cause any misunderstandings.
5. Relating to the exact wording of what a person has said: The direct quotations used in the book that Julia was citing had footnotes at the bottom of each page.
6. Denoting the sequence from parent to offspring: The story goes that Mark is the direct descendent of the owner of the old house down the street and he will be its inheritor. 

1. A condition in which someone is unable to perform because of physical or mental handicaps: When Susan fell on the steps she hurt her foot and, because of this disability, it was not possible for her to stand and make dinner in the kitchen that evening.
2. A medically diagnosed condition that makes it difficult to engage in the activities of daily life: Since Jane's eyesight was getting worse over the years, Dr. Smith said that, because of this disability, it would not be safe for her to drive her car anymore.
3. A condition, such as an illness or an injury, which damages or limits people's physical or mental capacities or functions: Greg's parents have learned to keep up positive attitudes about their son's disabilities which were acquired through a car accident the year before.
4. A sum of money paid to somebody, usually on a monthly basis, by a government agency or insurance company because a person is unable to work or to provide for the necessities of life: After their mother injured her back, she had to quit her job and go on disability.

1. To cause something to be unable to work in the normal way: "The technician had to disable the computer program before we could proceed adding more information to our blog."
2. Something that makes a person unable to do what was previously a normal part of life: "His father was disabled by the auto accident."
3. To prevent a device or system from working by disconnecting a part of it: "His friend was disabling the fire alarm because it was going off every so often for no valid reason."