pulverize

• POS: Verb (usu participle), Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: pul=ver=ize

CIDE DICTIONARY

pulverize, v. t. [F. pulvériser, L. pulverizare, fr. pulvis dust, powder. See Powder.].

 To reduce of fine powder or dust, as by beating, grinding, or the like; as, friable substances may be pulverized by grinding or beating, but to pulverize malleable bodies other methods must be pursued.  [1913 Webster]

pulverize, v. i. 

 To become reduced to powder; to fall to dust; as, the stone pulverizes easily.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

pulverize, v. (also -ise)
1 tr. reduce to fine particles.
2 tr. & intr. crumble to dust.
3 colloq. tr. a demolish. b defeat utterly.

Derivative

pulverizable adj. pulverization n. pulverizator n. pulverizer n.

Etymology

ME f. LL pulverizare f. pulvis pulveris dust

THESAURUS

pulverize

abrade, annihilate, atomize, bang, baste, batter, beat, bray, break into pieces, break to pieces, break up, brecciate, buck, buffet, cleave, comminute, contriturate, crash, crumb, crumble, crunch, crush, cut to pieces, decimate, demolish, destroy, devastate, diffuse, disassemble, disintegrate, dismantle, disperse, disrupt, drub, dynamite, fission, flail, flap, flour, fragment, grain, granulate, granulize, grate, grind, grind to powder, hammer, knock, lambaste, larrup, levigate, make mincemeat of, mash, maul, mill, mince, mull, paste, patter, pelt, pestle, pick to pieces, pommel, pound, powder, pull in pieces, pull to pieces, pummel, rap, reduce to powder, reduce to rubble, rend, rub out, ruin, scatter, scrunch, shard, shatter, shiver, shred, sledgehammer, smash, smash up, smatter, spank, splinter, split, squash, squish, sunder, take apart, tear apart, tear down, tear to pieces, tear to shreds, tear to tatters, thrash, thresh, thump, total, triturate, unbuild, undo, unmake, wallop, whip, wrack up, wreck

ROGET THESAURUS

pulverize

Pulverulence

VB come to dust, be disintegrated, be reduced to powder reduce to powder, grind to powder, pulverize, comminute, granulate, triturate, levigate, scrape, file, abrade, rub down, grind, grate, rasp, pound, bray, bruise, contuse, contund, beat, crush, cranch, craunch, crunch, scranch, crumble, disintegrate, attenuate.