fractionate

[ frak-shuh-neyt ]

verb (used with object),frac·tion·at·ed, frac·tion·at·ing.
  1. to separate or divide into component parts, fragments, divisions, etc.

  2. to separate (a mixture) into ingredients or into portions having different properties, as by distillation or crystallization; cause to undergo fractional distillation, crystallization, or the like.

  1. to obtain by such a process.

Origin of fractionate

1
First recorded in 1865–70; fraction + -ate1

Words Nearby fractionate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for fractionate

fractionate

/ (ˈfrækʃəˌneɪt) /


verb
  1. to separate or cause to separate into constituents or into fractions containing concentrated constituents

  2. (tr) chem to obtain (a constituent of a mixture) by a fractional process

Derived forms of fractionate

  • fractionation, noun
  • fractionator, noun

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