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désintégrer

to disintegrate

verb deh-zehn-teh-GREH Rare
Descriptions & Qualities Conditions

Also means

to break apart

Usage Note

Désintégrer follows the -er conjugation pattern but requires an accent change (désintègre in the present tense) due to the stem vowel. It is used in physics for nuclear disintegration and in everyday language for things falling apart entirely — l'empire s'est désintégré ('the empire disintegrated'). The reflexive form se désintégrer is more common when describing spontaneous breakdown.

Examples

"La roche se désintègre avec le temps."

Natural Translation

The rock disintegrates over time.

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