Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To rub, crush, grind, or pound into fine particles or a powder; pulverize.
  • noun A triturated substance, especially a powdered drug.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To rub, grind, or bruise; specifically, to grind to a powder.
  • In physiology, to grind with the grinders; masticate with the molar teeth; chew to a pulp.
  • noun A form of medicine in which an active substance has been thoroughly powdered and mixed by rubbing up with sugar of milk.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To rub, grind, bruise, or thrash.
  • transitive verb To rub or grind to a very fine or impalpable powder; to pulverize and comminute thoroughly.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb To grind to a fine powder, to pulverize.
  • verb To mix two solid reactants by repeated grinding and stirring.
  • verb To break up biological tissue into individual cells via passage through a narrow opening such as a hypodermic needle.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Late Latin trītūrāre, trītūrāt-, to thresh, from Latin trītūra, a threshing, from trītus, past participle of terere, to thresh; see terə- in Indo-European roots.]

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Examples

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  • Usage note on triturated.

    March 5, 2008

  • (verb used with object) 1. to reduce to fine particles or powder by rubbing, grinding, bruising, or the like; pulverize.

    (noun) 2. a triturated substance.

    March 6, 2008

  • "They're triturating each other."

    Witch Grass by Raymond Queneau, translated by Barbara Wright, p 100 of the NYRB paperback

    November 6, 2010