Disintegrate
/dɪsˈɪn.tɪ.ɡreɪt/noun
To break apart or fall into separate pieces; to cease to be whole.
Did you know?It comes from Latin *dis-* “apart” + *integer* “untouched, whole,” from the same root that gave English *integrity* and *integer*—so to disintegrate is, etymologically, to lose your wholeness.
Etymological Timeline
Latin prefix
Latin
dis-
“apart; in different directions”
Latin adjective
Latin
integer
“untouched, whole, complete”
Late Latin
Latin
disintegrare
“to break up, destroy the wholeness of”
16th Century
English
disintegrate
“to break into parts; to destroy the unity of”
Modern English
English
disintegrate
“to break apart or fall into separate pieces”