Breakdown

Noun

breakdown

1. a failure, particularly mechanical; something that has failed

   We saw a breakdown by the side of the road.

2. a lapse of mental stability

   After so much stress, he simply suffered a breakdown and gave up.

3. further detail or categorization

   Looking at the breakdown of the budget, I see a few items we could cut.

4. (Chemistry:) Breaking of chemical bonds within a compound to produce simpler compounds or elements.

   synonym: degradation