Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1400-1500
Language: Latin
Origin: dispellere, from pellere 'to drive, beat'

dispel

 verb
     
di‧spel past tense and past participle dispelled, present participle dispelling [transitive]
to make something go away, especially a belief, idea, or feeling:
We want to dispel the myth that you cannot eat well in Britain.
Light poured into the hall, dispelling the shadows.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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