decontaminating
|de-con-tam-i-nat-ing|
/ˌdiːkənˈtæmɪneɪtɪŋ/
(decontaminate)
remove contamination / made clean
Etymology
'decontaminate' originates from Latin-influenced elements: the prefix 'de-' (from Latin 'de-' meaning 'off, away, removal') plus 'contaminate', which comes from Latin 'contaminare' meaning 'to touch together, to pollute'.
'contaminate' came into English via Late Latin 'contaminare' and Medieval Latin 'contaminatus'; the modern verb 'decontaminate' was formed by adding the prefix 'de-' to 'contaminate' in modern English (20th century technical usage), producing 'decontaminate' and its derived forms like 'decontaminating'.
Initially 'contaminare' referred broadly to 'touching or making impure'; over time 'contaminate' came to mean 'make impure or unclean' and 'decontaminate' developed to mean 'remove impurities or contaminants', the latter becoming a specific technical term in fields like medicine, environmental science, and emergency response.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
gerund (noun use): the process or act of removing contamination; decontamination as an activity.
Decontaminating of the site took several days.
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Verb 1
present participle or gerund form of 'decontaminate': performing the action of removing contaminants (e.g., hazardous substances, germs, radioactive material) from people, places, equipment, or materials.
The team is decontaminating the laboratory after the spill.
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Adjective 1
used as an adjective (participial): describing something that performs or is intended to perform decontamination (e.g., a decontaminating agent or procedure).
They applied a decontaminating solution to the affected area.
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Last updated: 2025/11/22 01:58