Contaminate - Definitions from Dictionary.com

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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

con·tam·i·nate

Audio Help [v. kuh

n-tam-uh-neyt; n., adj. kuh

n-tam-uh-nit, -neyt] Pronunciation Key verb, -nat·ed, -nat·ing, noun, adjective

–verb (used with object)

1.	to make impure or unsuitable by contact or mixture with something unclean, bad, etc.: to contaminate a lake with sewage.

2.	to render harmful or unusable by adding radioactive material to: to contaminate a laboratory.

–noun

3.	something that contaminates or carries contamination; contaminant.

–adjective

4.	Obsolete. contaminated.

[Origin: 1375–1425; late ME contaminaten < L contāminātus, ptp. of contāmināre to defile, spoil, equiv. to con- con- + -tāminare, v. deriv. of *tāmen something touched < *tag-s-men, equiv. to tag-, var. s. of tangere to touch + -s-men resultative n. suffix; cf. examen

]

—Related forms

con·tam·i·na·ble, adjective

con·tam·i·na·tive, adjective

con·tam·i·na·tor, noun

con·tam·i·nous, adjective

—Synonyms 1. defile, pollute, taint, infect, poison, corrupt.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Contaminate

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

con·tam·i·nate Audio Help (kən-tām'ə-nāt') Pronunciation Key
tr.v. con·tam·i·nated, con·tam·i·nat·ing, con·tam·i·nates

To make impure or unclean by contact or mixture.
To expose to or permeate with radioactivity.

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: These verbs mean to make dirty or impure: Pesticides contaminated the lake. Mud befouled my shoes. Noxious fumes fouled the air. Drugs poisoned her mind. Exhaust polluted the air. Improper storage tainted the food.

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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
contaminate

1526, from O.Fr. contaminer, from L. contaminatus, pp. of contaminare "to defile," from contamen "contact, pollution," from com- "together" + *tag-, base of tangere "to touch" (see tangent).

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

contaminate
verb
1.	make impure; "The industrial wastes polluted the lake" [syn: pollute]
2.	make radioactive by adding radioactive material; "Don't drink the water--it's contaminated" [ant: decontaminate]

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
contaminate [kənˈtӕmineit] verb

to make impure
Example: The town's water-supply has been contaminated by chemicals from the factory.

Arabic:	يُفْسِد ، يُلَوِّث
Chinese (Simplified):	污染
Chinese (Traditional):	使污染
Czech:	znečistit
Danish:	forurene
Dutch:	verontreinigen
Estonian:	reostama
Finnish:	saastuttaa
French:	contaminer
German:	verseuchen
Greek:	μολύνω
Hungarian:	(be)szennyez
Icelandic:	spilla, menga
Indonesian:	mencemari
Italian:	contaminare

Japanese:	汚す
Korean:	더럽히다
Latvian:	aptraipīt; inficēt; saindēt
Lithuanian:	užteršti
Norwegian:	forurense, smitte, kontaminere
Polish:	zanieczyszczać
Portuguese (Brazil):	contaminar
Portuguese (Portugal):	contaminar
Romanian:	a contamina
Russian:	загрязнять
Slovak:	znečistiť
Slovenian:	okužiti
Spanish:	contaminar
Swedish:	förorena, smitta ner
Turkish:	kirletmek

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Contaminate

At*tam"i*nate\, v. t. [L. attaminare; ad + root of tangere. See Contaminate.] To corrupt; to defile; to contaminate. [Obs.] --Blount.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Contaminate

Con*tam"i*nate\ (k[o^]n*t[a^]m"[i^]*n[=a]t), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Contaminated; p. pr. & vb. n. Contaminating.] [L. contaminatus, p. p. of contaminare to bring into contact, to contaminate, fr. contamen contagion, for contagmen; con- + root of tangere to touch. See Contact.] To soil, stain, or corrupt by contact; to tarnish; to sully; to taint; to pollute; to defile.

Shall we now Contaminate our figures with base bribes? --Shak.

I would neither have simplicity imposed upon, nor virtue contaminated. --Goldsmith.

Syn: To pollute; defile; sully; taint; tarnish; soil; stain; corrupt.

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