contaminate

English

Etymology 1

First attested in the early 15^th century, in Middle English; from Middle English contaminaten (“to defile; to infect with desease”), from contaminat(e) (“sullied, defiled; infected with desease”, also used as the past participle of contaminaten) +‎ -en (verb-forming suffix), from Latin contāminātus, the perfect passive participle of contāminō (“to touch together, blend, mingle, corrupt, defile”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), which see for further informations. More at taste, tax, and taxi.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kənˈtæmɪneɪt/

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

  • Audio (New Jersey):

    (file)

Verb

contaminate (third-person singular simple present contaminates, present participle contaminating, simple past and past participle contaminated)

1. (transitive) To make something dangerous or toxic by introducing impurities or foreign matter.

   This water is contaminated. It isn't safe to drink.

2. (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:

     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.

3. (transitive) To make unfit for use by the introduction of unwholesome or undesirable elements.

   Do not contaminate the peanut butter with the jelly.

4. (transitive) To infect, usually of a deadly virus.

Derived terms

• biocontaminate
• contaminator
• cross-contaminate
• decontaminate
• noncontaminating
• recontaminate
• uncontaminate

Related terms

• contaminable
• contamination
• contaminative

Translations

To introduce impurities or foreign matter

• Bulgarian: замърсявам (bg) (zamǎrsjavam), извършвам зловредно вмешателство (izvǎršvam zlovredno vmešatelstvo)
• Catalan: contaminar (ca)
• Cherokee: ᎧᏁᏌᏢᏍᎦ (kanesatlvsga)
• Czech: znečistit (cs), kontaminovat
• Danish: forurene (da), kontaminere
• Esperanto: kontaĝi (eo)
• Finnish: saastuttaa (fi), pilata (fi)
• French: contaminer (fr), salir (fr)
• Galician: contaminar (gl)
• German: verunreinigen (de); verseuchen (de), kontaminieren (de) (poison or pathogen)
• Greek:

  Ancient: μιαίνω (miaínō), μολύνω (molúnō)

• Irish: truailligh
• Italian: contaminare (it)
• Latin: contāminō
• Lithuanian: užteršti
• Maori: whakananu, whakaparu (in general), tāhawahawa (with something tapu)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: kontaminere (no)

• Polish: zatruwać (pl), skazić
• Portuguese: contaminar (pt)
• Russian: загрязня́ть (ru) impf (zagrjaznjátʹ), загрязни́ть (ru) pf (zagrjaznítʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: truaill
• Swedish: kontaminera (sv)

Etymology 2

First attested in the early 15^th century, in Middle English; from Middle English contaminat(e) (“sullied, defiled; infected with desease”, also used as the past participle of contaminaten), see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more. Participial usage up until Early Modern English.

Adjective

contaminate (comparative more contaminate, superlative most contaminate) (obsolete)

1. (used as a participle) Contaminated.
2. (figuratively) Dirty, sinful, wicked, gross, etc.

Further reading

• “contaminate”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “contaminate”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
• “contaminate”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Italian

Verb

contaminate

1. inflection of contaminare:
   1. second-person plural present indicative
   2. second-person plural imperative
   3. feminine plural past participle

Anagrams

• manentatico

Latin

Verb

contāmināte

1. second-person plural present active imperative of contāminō

Spanish

Verb

contaminate

1. second-person singular voseo imperative of contaminar combined with te