Diffuse – κατά

The Greek preposition kata-, κατά, can mean¹ “diffusion or direction from the higher to the lower.” Below, are some examples of diffusion in everyday life.

• A balloon filled with helium will deflate a little bit every day, because helium atoms diffuse out of the balloon through its wall
• When spaghetti is cooked, water molecules diffuse into the spaghetti strings, making them thicker and more flexible
• Carbon dioxide bubbles in soft drinks diffuse out of your soda, leaving your soda flat
• A smelly gas distributes itself over a room by diffusion (flower fragrance, garbage stink, body odor )
• A sugar cube in a glass of water that is not stirred will dissolve slowly and the sugar molecules will distribute over the water by diffusion
• A wilted carrot or celery made firm again by soaking in water
• The smell of cookies diffuses through the house as they bake
• Perfume – perfume gas molecules diffuse into the air when put on so you can smell it
• Air freshener/deodorant – same concept as above.
• Teabag diffusion – tea leaf pigments diffuse through teabag to give the water its color and taste of tea
• Cigarette smoke – it diffuses into the air and spreads throughout the room