contamination
|con/ta/mi/na/tion|
🇺🇸
/kənˌtæməˈneɪʃən/
🇬🇧
/kənˌtæmɪˈneɪʃən/
making impure by contact
Etymology
'contamination' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'contaminatio', where 'con-' meant 'with' or 'together' and 'tangere' (via the participle stem) meant 'to touch' (through the verb 'contaminare' 'to defile/pollute').
'contamination' changed from the Late Latin word 'contaminatio' and entered English via Medieval/Late Latin (and influence from Old French/Anglo-Latin), developing into the modern English noun 'contamination' in the 17th century.
Initially, it meant 'to touch together' or 'to defile' (the sense of physical contact causing impurity). Over time it evolved into the current primary meaning: 'the action or state of making something impure, unsafe, or polluted.'
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the presence of a harmful or unwanted substance, organism, or impurity in something (e.g., water, soil, food, air) that makes it unsafe or unclean.
The contamination of the river made the water unsafe to drink.
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Noun 2
the action or process of introducing a contaminant or impurities into something (the act of contaminating).
Improper waste disposal can result in contamination of nearby soils.
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Noun 3
a non-physical or metaphorical form of impurity or harm, such as moral, cultural, or ideological contamination.
They feared cultural contamination from the influx of foreign media.
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Last updated: 2025/11/06 04:39