The Only Use of
dispel
in
Moby Dick
- But the lovely aromas in that enchanted air did at last seem to dispel, for a moment, the cankerous thing in his soul.†
Chpt 130-132
Definitions:
-
(1)
(dispel) to drive away or put an end to something -- especially a feeling, idea, or doubt
-
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
Dispel is generally used to in reference to getting rid of ideas or feelings, but more rarely, it can be used to reference the scattering away of something physical as in: "The noise dispelled the pigeons."