broyer

Broyer is a French verb meaning to reduce something by crushing, grinding, or pulverizing it into smaller pieces. The action can be physical, such as crushing grains, minerals, or spices, using tools or machinery, or more abstract, describing gradual erosion or wear. In culinary contexts, broyer can refer to breaking down ingredients with tools like a mortar and pestle, while in industrial settings it is used for processes that produce smaller fragments or particles as part of a production line. A closely related noun, broyage, denotes the act or result of grinding or crushing. The term is often distinguished from moudre, which more specifically implies grinding into a powder.

Etymology traces the word to Old French broier, related to the noun broyage, and broadly describes the act of breaking material into smaller pieces. In idiomatic French, the expression broyer du noir means to feel gloomy or pessimistic.

Industrial and technical usage of broyage covers a range of processes, including ore milling, cement grinding, and the pulverization of plastics or feedstock. Equipment used for these operations includes crushers, mills (such as hammer mills or roller mills), and shredders. Material properties—hardness, moisture, and desired particle size—guide the choice of method and machinery.

In summary, broyer denotes the general act of reducing a substance by breaking it into smaller parts, with distinctions in context between coarse crushing and finer grinding, and with a common metaphorical usage in everyday French.