contaminate
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English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Old French contaminer, from Latin contaminare (“to touch together, blend, mingle, corrupt, defile”), from contamen (“contact, defilement, contagion”), related to tangere. More at taste, tax, and taxi.
Pronunciation[edit]
Verb[edit]
contaminate (third-person singular simple present contaminates, present participle contaminating, simple past and past participle contaminated)
- (transitive) To make something dangerous or toxic by introducing impurities or foreign matter.
- This water is contaminated. It isn't safe to drink.
- (transitive) To soil, stain, corrupt, or infect by contact or association.
- 1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iii]:
- Shall we now
Contaminate our figures with base bribes?
- 1766, [Oliver Goldsmith], The Vicar of Wakefield: […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), Salisbury, Wiltshire: […] B. Collins, for F[rancis] Newbery, […], →OCLC; reprinted London: Elliot Stock, 1885, →OCLC:
- I would neither have simplicity imposed upon, nor virtue contaminated.
- 2014 April 12, Michael Inwood, “Martin Heidegger: the philosopher who fell for Hitler [print version: Hitler's philosopher]”, in The Daily Telegraph (Review)[1], London, page R11:
- [Martin] Heidegger's repellent political beliefs do not contaminate his philosophical work.
- (transitive) To make unfit for use by the introduction of unwholesome or undesirable elements.
- Do not contaminate the peanut butter with the jelly.
- To infect, often with bad objects
Derived terms[edit]
Related terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
To introduce impurities or foreign matter
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Further reading[edit]
- contaminate in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- contaminate in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911
- contaminate at OneLook Dictionary Search
Italian[edit]
Verb[edit]
contaminate
- inflection of contaminare:
Anagrams[edit]
Latin[edit]
Verb[edit]
contāmināte
Spanish[edit]
Verb[edit]
contaminate
- second-person singular voseo imperative of contaminar combined with te
Categories:
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *teh₂g- (touch)
- English terms derived from Old French
- English terms derived from Latin
- English 4-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- English lemmas
- English verbs
- English transitive verbs
- English terms with usage examples
- English terms with quotations
- Italian non-lemma forms
- Italian verb forms
- Latin non-lemma forms
- Latin verb forms
- Spanish non-lemma forms
- Spanish verb forms