disintegrate Meaning, Definition & Usage

verb break into parts or components or lose cohesion or unity
- The material disintegrated
- the group disintegrated after the leader died
verb cause to undergo fission or lose particles
verb lose a stored charge, magnetic flux, or current
decompose; decay.
- the particles disintegrated during the nuclear fission process

L. dis- + integratus, p. p. of integrare to renew, repair, fr. integer entire, whole. See Integer.

imperfect & past participle Disintegrated; present participle & verbal noun Disintegrating

To separate into integrant parts; to reduce to fragments or to powder; to break up, or cause to fall to pieces, as a rock, by blows of a hammer, frost, rain, and other mechanical or atmospheric influences.
Marlites are not disintegrated by exposure to the atmosphere, at least in six years. Kirwan.