disgregate

Etymology

First attested in 1593; borrowed from Latin disgregātus, perfect passive participle of disgregō, see -ate (verb-forming suffix).

verb

  1. To disperse; to scatter.
  2. To separate into individual parts, disjoin, disintegrate.“Heat, seems to consist of rare parts, and disgregates bodies.”
  3. (according to obsolete theories of vision) To scatter or make divergent (visual rays); (by extension) to dazzle, confuse, dim (the sight).“Black doth congregat, unite, and fortifie the sight; the other doth disgregat, scatter, and enfeeble it.”