What does triturated mean?
Triturated means reduced to a fine powder by grinding, rubbing, or pulverizing. It is most often used as an adjective or past participle in pharmacy, chemistry, mineralogy, and other technical contexts, where it describes material that has undergone trituration, the process of breaking a substance into smaller particles. The word can also suggest that something has been thoroughly crushed or worn down, though this figurative use is much less common. Its technical vocabulary gives it a formal, somewhat old-fashioned or learned flavor, making it more evocative than the plainer “ground” or “pulverized.” Understanding it is useful because it names both a specific physical process and a precise state: “triturated powder.” The term ultimately comes from Latin, where its underlying idea is rubbing or grinding rather than merely breaking a substance into larger pieces.
Reduced to a fine powder or thoroughly pulverized by grinding, rubbing, or crushing.
"The triturated powder was mixed with distilled water."
Chiefly used in technical and scientific contexts.
The past participle of triturate, meaning reduced to powder by rubbing or grinding.
"The leaves were triturated before being placed in the filter."
The form can appear as the passive participle or in a perfect construction.
From the Latin idea of rubbing to today's laboratory powder, triturated compresses “ground to a fine dust” into one precise word.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does triturated come from?
Triturated is the English past participle of triturate and the adjectival form of Latin trituratus. These continue Latin triturare, a word associated with rubbing or grinding and ultimately connected with terere, “to rub.” Its development reflects the older pharmaceutical and scientific use of trituration for describing the reduction of substances to powder.
Related word forms
How triturated is actually used
Formal and technical, especially in pharmacy, chemistry, mineralogy, and materials science. It is less common in everyday speech than “ground” or “pulverized.”
Easily confused with triturated
Triturated means reduced to a fine powder by grinding, whereas titrated refers to a substance whose concentration or amount has been determined by titration.