An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

1. To break something up into smaller parts.
   

2. To separate a mixture into ingredients or portions having different properties, as by distillation or otherwise.

Etymology (EN): From → fraction + -ate a suffix forming verbs or nouns, from L. -atus, -ata, -atum.

Etymology (PE): Barxândan, from barx, barxé, → fraction,

• -ândan suffix of transitive verbs.