Comminute
noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Pulverized material. countable, uncountable
"The drink contains lemon comminute."
- 1 To pulverize; to smash. transitive
"High temperatures required for reaction between components can result in loss of volatile oxides, while milling may not comminute powders sufficiently for complete reaction to occur on calcination."
- 2 reduce to small pieces or particles by pounding or abrading wordnet
- 3 To cause fragmentation (of bone).
"For example, comminuting fractures on ribs 4–8 along the rib angle most likely are associated to shots through the scapula, whereas injuries through or near to the costochondral articulation of the first rib could also be associated to wounds of the sternum or clavicle."
- 4 To break into smaller portions. transitive
Example
More examples"High temperatures required for reaction between components can result in loss of volatile oxides, while milling may not comminute powders sufficiently for complete reaction to occur on calcination."
Etymology
From Latin comminūtus (“crumbled, lessened”).
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.