macinated

Macinated is a rarely used English term that functions as the past participle of the verb macinate. The key sense attributed to it is to grind or crush something, typically using a mill or similar grinding apparatus. In contemporary writing, the word is uncommon, and most authors would opt for more common verbs such as grind, crush, pulverize, or mill.

Etymology and related forms help place macinated in a historical or technical vocabulary. The form is linked to the noun macina or macine in Romance-language milling terminology, referring to a millstone or grinding device. From this lineage, macinate (to grind) and macination (the act of grinding) have appeared in older or specialized glossaries, particularly in chemistry, alchemy, or mineral processing texts.

Usage and context are crucial for macinated. It may be encountered in historical scientific literature or in niche dictionaries that preserve older milling terminology. In modern scientific writing, macinated is typically replaced by ground or milled, depending on the process described. Example usages might resemble: “The ore sample was macinated to a fine powder for assay,” or “The seed material was macinated prior to extraction.” Such usage signals a procedural emphasis on a milling step, but it remains stylistically archaic in everyday or contemporary technical writing.

See also: Macination, Milling, Pulverization, Grinding. Note that macinated is largely of historical or specialized interest and is not a standard term in current general-purpose dictionaries.