To reduce something into very small pieces or powder; to break up into minute particles.
From Latin comminuere, from com- 'together' + minuere 'to lessen, make smaller,' related to minus. The word entered English in the 17th century in medical and scientific contexts.
When forensic scientists comminuate bone fragments for analysis, they can extract DNA from the tiniest pieces—something that revolutionized criminal investigations.
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