English vocabulary · C1
Suffuse
/səˈfjuːz/ · v.
It means to spread slowly through or over something, filling it with light, color, or feeling.
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Example sentences
- Warm light suffused the room at sunset.
- Grief suffused her voice as she spoke.
Word origin and roots
from Latin
- suf — under (from Latin)
- fuse — pour (from Latin)
Synonyms and nuances
- PERMEATE (something spreads through every part)
- BATHE (light or warmth covers something fully)
- PERVADE (a quality fills an entire space)
Words with the same root
fundere — to pour
- infuse — to pour into — to fill something with a quality or substance
- diffuse — to pour in different directions — to spread widely
- profuse — poured forward in great amounts — very abundant
Lesson notes
Suffuse. It means to spread slowly through or over something, filling it with light, color, or feeling.
Similar words are permeate, bathe, and pervade. Use suffuse when light softly fills.
Warm light suffused the room at sunset. Grief suffused her voice as she spoke.
From Latin. Suh-fyoo means under. Fuse means pour. Light pours under the surface and fills it; that is suffuse.