contaminate
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con·tam·i·nate
(kən-tăm′ə-nāt′)tr.v. con·tam·i·nat·ed, con·tam·i·nat·ing, con·tam·i·nates
1. To make impure or unclean by contact or mixture.
2. To expose to or permeate with radioactivity.
3. Linguistics To influence the semantic properties or phonological form of (a word or phrase); blend with: The Middle English word femelle was contaminated by the word male, resulting in the modern form female.
n. (-nĭt)
One that contaminates; a contaminant.
[Middle English contaminaten, from Latin contāmināre, contāmināt-; see tag- in Indo-European roots.]
con·tam′i·na′tive adj.
con·tam′i·na′tor n.
Synonyms: contaminate, befoul, foul, poison, pollute, taint
These verbs mean to make dirty or impure: Pesticides contaminated the lake. Mud befouled his shoes. Noxious fumes foul the air. Farm runoff poisoned the fish. Exhaust polluted the air. Improper storage tainted the food.
These verbs mean to make dirty or impure: Pesticides contaminated the lake. Mud befouled his shoes. Noxious fumes foul the air. Farm runoff poisoned the fish. Exhaust polluted the air. Improper storage tainted the food.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
contaminate
vb (tr)
1. to make impure, esp by touching or mixing; pollute
2. (Nuclear Physics) to make radioactive by the addition of radioactive material
adj
archaic contaminated
[C15: from Latin contamināre to defile; related to Latin contingere to touch]
conˈtaminable adj
conˈtaminant n
conˈtaminative adj
conˈtamiˌnator n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
con•tam•i•nate
(v. kənˈtæm əˌneɪt; n., adj. -nɪt, -ˌneɪt)v. -nat•ed, -nat•ing,
n., adj. v.t.
1. to make impure or unsuitable by contact or mixture with something unclean, bad, etc.; pollute; taint: to contaminate a lake with sewage.
2. to render harmful or unusable by adding radioactive material to.
n. 3. something that contaminates or carries contamination; contaminant.
adj. 4. Obs. contaminated.
[1375–1425; < Latin contāminātus, past participle of contāmināre to defile, spoil]
con•tam′i•na`tive, adj.
con•tam′i•na`tor, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
con·tam·i·nate
(kən-tăm′ə-nāt′)1. To make impure or unclean by mixture or contact.
2. To cause something to become dangerously radioactive.
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
contaminate
See: contamination.
Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms. US Department of Defense 2005.
contaminate
Past participle: contaminated
Gerund: contaminating
| Imperative |
|---|
| contaminate |
| contaminate |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Verb | 1. | contaminate - make impure; "The industrial wastes polluted the lake" |
| 2. | contaminate - make radioactive by adding radioactive material; "Don't drink the water--it's contaminated" alter, change, modify - cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue" decontaminate - rid of contamination; "The soil around the housing development had to be decontaminated by the city" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
contaminate
verb pollute, infect, stain, corrupt, taint, sully, defile, adulterate, befoul, soil The fishing waters have been contaminated with toxic wastes.
clean, cleanse, purify, sterilize, disinfect, fumigate, decontaminate, deodorize, sanitize
clean, cleanse, purify, sterilize, disinfect, fumigate, decontaminate, deodorize, sanitize
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
contaminate
verbThe American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
يُفْسِد ، يُلَوِّث
znečistitkontaminovat
forurenekontaminere
pilatasaastuttaa
spilla, menga
užteršimasužteršti
aptraipītinficētsaindēt
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
contaminate
vt → verunreinigen, verschmutzen; (= poison) → vergiften; (radioactivity) → verseuchen, kontaminieren (spec); (fig) mind → verderben; the oranges were contaminated by poison → in den Orangen befanden sich Giftstoffe
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
contaminate
(kənˈtӕmineit) verb to make impure. The town's water-supply has been contaminated by chemicals from the factory.
conˌtamiˈnation nounKernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
con·tam·i·nate
v. contaminar, infectar.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
contaminate
vt contaminarEnglish-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.