pulverise
/ˈpʌlvəɹaɪz/ verb
Forms pulverises pulverising pulverised pulverize
- verb (transitive) To render into dust or powder.
- verb (transitive) To completely destroy, especially by crushing to fragments or a powder.
- verb (transitive, figurative) To defeat soundly, thrash.
- verb (intransitive) To become reduced to powder; to fall to dust. “the stone pulverises easily”
Synonyms
comminute pulver demolish pulverize powderize powderise powder
Etymology
From Middle English pulverizen, from Latin pulverizō, pulverizāre, from pulvis (“powder”). Compare French pulvériser. By surface analysis, pulver (“powder”) + -ise.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “pulverise”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details