[f. L. type comminūtiōn-em, n. of action f. comminu-ĕre: see prec. Not recorded in class. Latin (which has minūtio, diminūtio).]

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  1.  Reduction or breaking up into small fragments; pulverization, trituration.

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1578.  Banister, Hist. Man, I. 13. Hardnes [of the teeth] … necessary to the Comminution of meate.

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1691.  Ray, Creation (1714), 28. In all sorts of serpents there is no Mastication or Comminution of the Meat.

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1756.  C. Lucas, Ess. Waters, III. 33. The whole sulphur … suffers no change but comminution.

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1878.  Bell, Gegenbauer’s Comp. Anat., 213. The organs for the comminution of the food.

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  b.  Surg. Cf. COMMINUTED 2.

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1820.  Sir A. Cooper, Surg. Ess., II. (ed. 2), 138. Compound fracture of the thigh attended with considerable comminutions of the femur.

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  2.  transf.

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1751.  Johnson, Rambler, No. 108, ¶ 4. This natural and necessary comminution of our lives.

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1881.  Times, 23 July, 11/5. The perpetual comminution, not to say destruction, of personal influence by change of locality [in Wesleyanism].

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  3.  Math. Proposed by De Morgan for ‘diminution (of two quantities) together without limit’: see COMMINUENT.

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