French Conversation · Level 95
60 words
French word
pulvériser
Pronunciation
IPA/pylveʁize/
Meaning
- verbpulverize
Example
La machine pulvérise le café.
The machine pulverizes the coffee.
More examples
Le sprinter pulvérise le record du monde.
The sprinter shatters the world record.
Core concept
A solid disappears into tiny particles, or a liquid spreads outward as a fine spray; figuratively, the same image suggests total destruction.
Common phrases
pulvériser un record
shatter a record
Similar words
broyer: Crush a hard material into fine grains or powder using force or machinery.
écraser: Flatten something by crushing it under heavy pressure.
vaporiser: Disperse a liquid as a fine mist using a spray.
Definition in French
Mettre quelque chose en très petites particules, soit en le réduisant en poudre, soit en le projetant en fines gouttelettes, et au sens figuré écraser complètement.
Word origin
The verb is a learned French borrowing from Latin pulverizare, itself based on pulvis, the Latin word for dust or powder.
Usage tips
- For a liquid, pulvériser refers to producing fine droplets, whereas écraser more specifically refers to crushing a solid.
Other meanings
- sprayverb
- crushverb
Opposites
- préserverpreserveverb
Related words
- pulvérisationpulverizationnoun
- pulvérisépulverizedadjective