Decrepitate

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To break apart or explode into small fragments usually as a result of rapid heating in a physical or chemical process ; to reduce to smaller pieces or cause disintegration by intense thermal or mechanical action ; the occurrence of sudden fragmentation due to internal stresses or external forces in a heated material
2. To undergo violent fragmentation typically when subjected to intense heat causing emitted particles ; to shatter or burst into numerous bits as a consequence of physical disruption ; to cause materials to lose cohesion and scatter through explosive or stress-induced effects during thermal treatment
3. To break down by cracking or bursting into fragments because of exposure to high temperature ; to cause or experience sudden disintegration often accompanied by sound or sparks in heated substances ; to fragment or break apart violently from thermal or mechanical stress causing dispersion of material pieces

Etymology: Decrepitate comes from Latin "crepitare," meaning to rattle or crackle, the frequentative of "crepare," to make a noise. The prefix "de-" intensifies the idea, so "decrepitare" meant to crackle thoroughly, and the Medieval Latin "decrepitare" carried this sense into scientific writing. The sound is the heart of the word: a salt crystal popping in a fire or a stone splitting in the heat both crackle as they break. The modern English verb keeps that noise in its meaning. Chemists and metallurgists use it for materials that burst apart when heated, such as certain rocks, salts, and ores that spit fragments as their trapped water turns to steam. The word has been a technical term in that sense, rather than a common one, and it still reads as precise and slightly old-fashioned.

Synonyms: crackle, pop, snap, fracture

Antonyms: remain intact, hold, stay whole