Dephase

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To alter the phase relationship of waves or signals so that their peaks and troughs shift; to cause a delay in the timing of a process relative to another; to modify the synchronization between oscillating systems
2. To change the relative timing or offset of cyclical patterns in waves or systems; to introduce a phase difference between two signals; to disrupt the alignment of periodic phenomena
3. To adjust the phase angle of one signal or wave relative to another thus affecting their interference pattern; to cause a shift in the temporal alignment of processes; to desynchronize periodic events or signals

Etymology: "Dephase" is built from the prefix "de-", meaning "down" or "away" or, in technical use, "reversal," attached to "phase." The base word "phase" comes from the Greek "phasis," meaning "appearance," which is related to "phainein," "to show" or "to appear." Its modern sense of a stage in a cycle or a point in a repeating pattern developed from astronomy, where the changing shapes of the Moon were called phases. In "dephase," the prefix "de-" reverses the state the base word describes. To dephase something is to take it out of step with a rhythm or cycle it was previously matched to. The verb is used in electronics and engineering, where two signals or oscillations that were in sync fall out of alignment.

Synonyms: desynchronize, offset, shift, displace

Antonyms: synchronize, align, phase, harmonize