fractionate

American  

[frak-shuh-neyt] / ˈfræk ʃəˌneɪt /

verb (used with object)

fractionated, fractionating

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.

3. to obtain by such a process.

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fractionate British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

• fractionation noun
• fractionator noun

Etymology

Origin of fractionate

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

Example Sentences

"And if there's less precipitation, the isotopes are going to fractionate differently than normal," he said.

From Science Daily • Nov. 15, 2023

"Then we would carry them up to the 15th floor where we would fractionate and purify them."

From Reuters • May 5, 2010

Under its most recent chairman, Alabama's easygoing John Sparkman, the committee "had begun to fractionate," says Church, in typically grand language.

From Time Magazine Archive