dis•in•te•grate
[dis-in-tuh-greyt] , -grat•ed, -grat•ing.
–verb (used without object)
1. to separate into parts or lose intactness or solidness; break up; deteriorate: The old book is gradually disintegrating with age.
2. Physics.
a. to decay.
b. (of a nucleus) to change into one or more different nuclei after being bombarded by high-energy particles, as alpha particles or gamma rays.
–verb (used with object)
3. to reduce to particles, fragments, or parts; break up or destroy the cohesion of: Rocks are disintegrated by frost and rain.
[Origin: 1790–1800; DIS-1 + INTEGRATE ]