British spelling: to break into atoms or very small fragments; to reduce to atoms or powder.
From atom + -ise (British verb-forming suffix, equivalent to American -ize). Created in the 1600s-1700s as atomic theory developed and scientists needed a verb for 'breaking into atoms.'
When you spray perfume, you're literally doing what scientists call 'atomising'—breaking liquid into a mist of tiny droplets, which is much smaller than actual atoms but uses the same principle.
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