comminute
Reduce to powder
To comminute is to reduce to tiny particles or powder, typically by grinding, crushing, or pulverizing.
The term appears most often in technical contexts—mining, pharmacology, and medicine: comminuted ore, a comminuted fracture (where bone shatters into fragments).
Outside specialized use, the word is rare; most speakers would say pulverize or crush.
Crush to powder
- poundWeight, strike, or kennel
- hammerTool for striking nails
- smashBreak violently apart
- mashCrushed soft mixture
trample · stomp · press · compress · squash · crunch · flatten · crumple
Crush to powder
- micronizeReduce to microparticles
- atomizeConvert to fine particles
- dustFine settled particles
- flourMilled grain powder
talcum · silt · particulate · fine · ultrafine · superfine · colloid · powdering
Thin sharp fragment
- shatterFragment violently, suddenly
- fractureSplit in hard material
- chipSmall broken-off piece
- flakeThin detached fragment
crack · disintegrate · crumble · shred · rupture · break · fragmentary · piecemeal
Grain-crushing facility
- millingProcessing grain mechanically
- granulateConvert to granules
- grindstoneRotating stone for sharpening
- millstoneGrain-crushing circular stone
grate · abrade · pulverization · grater · coarse · grit · meal · attrition
Metal-bearing rock
- gangueCommercially worthless ore rock
- liberationRelease from constraint
- crushingOverwhelming in intensity
- screeningEvaluative selection process
classification · aggregate · quarry · rock
pulverize
Crush to powder
mash · trample · stomp · press · compress · squash · crunch · flatten · crumple · bruise
pulverize
Crush to powder
flour · talcum · silt · particulate · fine · ultrafine · superfine · colloid · powdering · friable
splinter
Thin sharp fragment
flake · crack · disintegrate · crumble · shred · rupture · break · fragmentary · piecemeal · slivered
mill
Grain-crushing facility
- millingProcessing grain mechanically
- granulateConvert to granules
- grindstoneRotating stone for sharpening
millstone · grate · abrade · pulverization · grater · coarse · grit · meal · attrition · kibble
ore
Metal-bearing rock
- gangueCommercially worthless ore rock
- liberationRelease from constraint
- crushingOverwhelming in intensity
screening · classification · aggregate · quarry · rock
comminuteaggregate
Combined sum total
agglomerate · coalesce · consolidate · compact · compress