atomise
|at-om-ise|
🇺🇸
/ˈætəˌmaɪz/
🇬🇧
/ˈætəmaɪz/
break into very small particles
Etymology
'atomise' originates from French 'atomiser', ultimately from Modern Latin 'atomizare', which comes from Greek 'atomos' where 'a-' meant 'not' and 'tomos' meant 'cut' (so 'indivisible').
'atomos' (Greek) → Latinized form 'atomus' → Medieval/Modern Latin 'atomizare' → French 'atomiser' → English 'atomise'.
Initially it related to the concept of the 'indivisible' (an 'atom'), but over time it came to mean 'to reduce to atoms' or 'to break into very small particles' in modern usage.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Verb 1
to break or reduce (a substance) into very small particles or droplets.
The spray atomises the water into a fine mist.
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Verb 2
to vaporise or convert into vapor or very fine droplets (often used of liquids in engines, sprays, etc.).
In the engine, the fuel is atomised before combustion.
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Verb 3
figurative: To analyse or break down (an idea, problem, system) into very small, often discrete parts.
She atomises the project into a series of simple tasks.
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Last updated: 2025/11/12 20:15