delocalize

Verb

delocalize (third-person singular simple present delocalizes, present participle delocalizing, simple past and past participle delocalized)

1. To broaden the scope of something (to make it more global).
   • This combined view of the greatness of events and the feebleness of the human mind, never appears to startlingly distinct as upon the occurrence of those extraordinary crises, which, so to speak, entirely delocalize man, and transport him to a different sphere.1852, M. Guizot, History of the Origin of Representative Government in Europe
   • This constant desire for what we do not have, delocalizes — drives from Maine its natives and sends them to alien soil — to California, and vice versa.1912, Second Annual Conference of the Committees on Agricultural Development and Education
2. (physical, quantum mechanics) To contain an electron in an orbital that extends over several adjacent atoms.
   • In molecular orbital theory it is thus the fact that the 2p electrons become completely delocalized that causes the lowering of the energy and of the bond distance compared to the average of the values for single and double bonds.1939, Gerhard Herzberg, Molecular Spectra and Molecular Structure: Electronic spectra and electronic structure of polyatomic molecules
   • This is shown in Input 10.6 for a calculation of D-BOVB type, in which the π spectator orbitals are allowed to delocalize.2007, Sason S. Shaik, A Chemist's Guide to Valence Bond Theory, page 279
3. To remove from a locality.
   • Often, the wardens who happen to be nearby tranquillize the aggressive animal and delocalize it.2012, Paul Bouissac, Circus as Multimodal Discourse: Performance, Meaning, and Ritual