pul ‧ ver ‧ ize BrE AmE ( also pulverise British English ) /ˈpʌlvəraɪz/ verb [transitive usually passive]
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: French ; Origin: pulvériser , from Late Latin pulverizare , from Latin pulvis 'dust, powder' ]
1 . to crush something into a powder:
The seeds can be used whole or pulverized into flour.
2 . informal to completely defeat someone:
Stewart completely pulverized the opposition.
—pulverized adjective :
pulverized coal
—pulverization /ˌpʌlvəraɪˈzeɪʃ ə n $ -rə-/ noun [uncountable]