Past tense of 'disintegrate': to break apart into small pieces or fragments, or to fall apart completely.
From 'dis-' (apart) and 'integrate' (to make whole). 'Integrate' comes from Latin 'integrare,' meaning to make complete. So disintegrate literally means to reverse the process of wholeness.
Radioactive elements literally disintegrate—uranium atoms fall apart over time, releasing energy. Scientists borrowed this nuclear physics term to describe any object breaking apart, from cookies crumbling to empires collapsing!
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