decrepitate

English

Etymology

From mediaeval Latin decrepitare, from Latin de- + crepitare.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /dɪˈkɹɛpɪteɪt/

Verb

decrepitate (third-person singular simple present decrepitates, present participle decrepitating, simple past and past participle decrepitated)

1. (transitive) To roast (a salt or mineral) until it stops crackling in the fire.
   • 1646, Sir Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica, Folio 2007, p. 333:

     so will it come to pass in a pot of salt, although decrepitated; and so also in a pot of Snow.

2. (intransitive) Of salts and minerals, to crackle when heated, indicating a sudden breakdown of their particles.