BREAK DOWN

verb Date: 14th century transitive verb 1. to cause to fall or collapse by breaking or shattering, to make ineffective , 2. to divide into parts or categories, to separate (as a chemical compound) into simpler substances ; decompose , to take apart especially for storage or shipment and for later reassembling, intransitive verb 1. to stop functioning because of breakage or wear, to become inoperative or ineffective ; fail , to fail in strength or vitality , to succumb to mental or emotional stress , to lose one's resolve ; give in , to severely injure the supporting ligament or bones of the fetlock joint, 3. to be susceptible to or undergo analysis or subdivision , to undergo decomposition, see: analyze