ppl. a. [f. as prec. + -ED1.]
1. Reduced to minute particles, or portions.
1725. Bradley, Fam. Dict., s.v. Transplanting, By … drenching the mould with water … and by meliorating with sweet and comminuted lætations.
1774. Pennant, Tour Scotl. (1772), 242. The soil is composed of sand and comminuted shells.
1860. Sat. Rev., X. 306/1. The comminuted political condition which is just now so noxious to his country.
1862. Dana, Man. Geol., 74. Sand is comminuted rock of any kind … common sand is mainly comminuted quartz.
2. Surg. Of a bone: Broken or crushed into several pieces. So comminuted fracture.
1790. J. Aitken, Ess. Fractures, 5. Six distinctions or varieties of Fracture may be usefully adverted to…. 5. Comminuted, when the fragments are numerous.
1831. Sir A. Cooper, Disloc. & Fractures (ed. 7), Descr. Plate xxviii. A compound and comminuted fracture of the radius. Ibid. Fragments of the broken radius extremely comminuted.
