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Definition of Pollution - 6 dictionary results
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pol⋅lu⋅tion

  [puh-loo-shuhn]
Use Pollution in a Sentence
–noun
1. the act of polluting or the state of being polluted.
2. the introduction of harmful substances or products into the environment: air pollution.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME pollucioun (< OF) < LL pollūtiōn-, s. of pollūtiō defilement; see pollute, -ion
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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pol·lu·tion   (pə-lōō'shən)   
n.  

  1. The act or process of polluting or the state of being polluted, especially the contamination of soil, water, or the atmosphere by the discharge of harmful substances.

  2. Something that pollutes; a pollutant or a group of pollutants: Pollution in the air reduced the visibility near the airport.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

pollution 
c.1340, "discharge of semen other than during sex," later, "desecration, defilement" (1382), from L.L. pollutionem (nom. pollutio) "defilement," from L. polluere "to soil, defile, contaminate," from por- "before" + -luere "smear," related to lutum "mud," and to lues "filth" (cf. Gk. lyma "filth, dirt, disgrace," lymax "rubbish, refuse," O.Ir. loth "mud, dirt," Lith. lutynas "pool, puddle"). Sense of "contamination of the environment" first recorded c.1860, but not common until c.1955. Pollute (v.) is attested from c.1380 in sense "defile," from L. pollutus, pp. of polluere. Meaning "contaminate the environment" first recorded 1954. Pollutant is from 1892.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: pol·lu·tion
Pronunciation: p&-'lü-sh&n
Function: noun
1 : the action of polluting or the condition of beingpolluted
2 : POLLUTANT
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

pollution pol·lu·tion (pə-l&oomacr;'shən)
n.

  1. The act or process of polluting or the state of being polluted, especially the contamination of soil, water, or the atmosphere by the discharge of harmful substances.

  2. A pollutant or a group of pollutants.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Encyclopedia

pollution

the addition of any substance or form of energy (e.g., heat, sound, radioactivity) to the environment at a rate faster than the environment can accommodate it by dispersion, breakdown, recycling, or storage in some harmless form

Learn more about pollution with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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