Breaking_apart

A Whole breaks apart into Pieces, resulting in the loss of the Whole (and in most cases, no piece that has a separate function). The plane violently broke apart in mid-air. And then, I finally realized that it must have been the case that a meteorite broke apart into at least 3 large pieces. Many of these verbs can also refer metaphorically to the breaking apart of institutions. (See the frame for "schism".)