pulverise

See also: pulvérisé and pulvérise

English

Alternative forms

• pulverize (American and Oxford British spelling)

Etymology

From Middle English pulverizen, from Latin pulverizō, pulverizāre, from pulvis (“powder”). Compare French pulvériser. By surface analysis, pulver (“powder”) +‎ -ise.

Pronunciation

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Verb

pulverise (third-person singular simple present pulverises, present participle pulverising, simple past and past participle pulverised) (non-Oxford British spelling)

1. (transitive) To render into dust or powder.
2. (transitive) To completely destroy, especially by crushing to fragments or a powder.
3. (transitive, figurative) To defeat soundly, thrash.
4. (intransitive) To become reduced to powder; to fall to dust.

   the stone pulverises easily

Synonyms

• pulver (archaic)

Derived terms

• pulveriser

Translations

to render into dust or powder

• Arabic: فَتَّتَ (fattata)
• Bulgarian: разпрашавам (razprašavam)
• Catalan: polvoritzar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Literary Chinese: 齏 (jī)

  Mandarin: 碾碎 (zh) (niǎnsuì), 粉碎 (zh) (fěnsuì), 研 (zh) (yán)

• Danish: pulverisere, formale
• Dutch: fijnwrijven (nl), doen verstuiven, vermorzelen (nl)
• Finnish: jauhaa (fi), hienontaa (fi)
• French: pulvériser (fr)
• Georgian: დაფხვნა (dapxvna), დაფშვნა (dapšvna)
• German: pulverisieren (de), zerpulvern (de)
• Gothic: 𐌳𐌹𐍃𐍅𐌹𐌽𐌸𐌾𐌰𐌽 (diswinþjan)
• Italian: polverizzare (it)
• Latin: conterō, comminuo
• Māori: whakanehu, tāpā (refers to preparing soil), tāpāpā (refers to preparing soil)
• Middle English: knokken
• Polish: pokruszyć (pl) pf, sproszkować (pl) pf
• Portuguese: pulverizar (pt)
• Romanian: pulveriza (ro)
• Russian: превраща́ть в порошо́к impf (prevraščátʹ v porošók)
• Scottish Gaelic: meil
• Spanish: pulverizar (es), polvorizar (es), polvificar (es)
• Swedish: pulverisera (sv)
• Thai: บด (th) (bòt), บดเป็นผง, ภัสมธุลี
• Yiddish: פּולוועריזירן (pulverizirn)

to completely destroy

• Danish: pulverisere
• Finnish: murskata (fi)
• Georgian: გაცამტვერება (gacamṭvereba), განადგურება (ganadgureba)
• Irish: múr, púdraigh
• Māori: whakanehu
• Russian: дроби́ть (ru) impf (drobítʹ), измельча́ть (ru) impf (izmelʹčátʹ), распыля́ть (ru) impf (raspyljátʹ) (water)
• Scottish Gaelic: meil
• Thai: บด (th) (bòt), ทำให้แหลก

to defeat soundly

• Bulgarian: разбивам (bg) (razbivam)
• Danish: pulverisere
• Finnish: murskata (fi)
• Georgian: დამარცხება (damarcxeba)

intransitive: to be rendered into dust or powder

• Armenian: փոշիանալ (hy) (pʻošianal)
• Bulgarian: разпрашавам се (razprašavam se)
• Finnish: jauhautua, hienontua (fi)
• Polish: obrócić się w proch pf
• Russian: превраща́ться в порошо́к impf (prevraščátʹsja v porošók)
• Thai: บด (th) (bòt), บดเป็นผง, ภัสมธุลี

See also

• nebulize
• vaporize

Anagrams

• prelusive, repulsive