'atomize' originates from French, specifically the word 'atomiser', where the element 'atom-' ultimately comes from Greek 'atomos' meaning 'indivisible' (a- 'not' + tomos 'cut').

'atomize' changed from French 'atomiser' (and Late/New Latin forms such as 'atomizare'), which derived from Greek 'atomizein' and the noun 'atomos', and eventually became the modern English word 'atomize'.

Initially it meant 'to reduce to atoms (i.e., indivisible particles)'; over time it broadened to mean 'to break into very small particles' or 'to spray a liquid in a fine mist', which is the common modern sense.