Nearby Words

adulterate

[v. uh-duhl-tuh-reyt; adj. uh-duhl-ter-it, -tuh-reyt] Example Sentences Origin

a·dul·ter·ate

[v. uh-duhl-tuh-reyt; adj. uh-duhl-ter-it, -tuh-reyt] verb, -at·ed, -at·ing, adjective
verb (used with object)
1.
to debase or make impure by adding inferior materials or elements; use cheaper, inferior, or less desirable goods in the production of (any professedly genuine article): to adulterate food.
adjective
3.
adulterous (def. 1).

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Adulterate is a GRE word you need to know.
So is mettle. Does it mean:
become unsteady; begin to fail or give way; to shake or tremble, as the hands or voice
courage and fortitude; disposition or temperament

Origin:
1580–90; < Latin adulterātus mixed, adulterated (past participle of adulterāre), equivalent to ad- ad- + -ulter (perhaps combining form of alter other; see alter) + -ātus -ate1

a·dul·ter·a·tor, noun
un·a·dul·ter·ate, adjective

adulterer, adulterate.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To adulterate
Example Sentences
  • Citrano refuses to adulterate his ice cream with mashed-up candy bars or cookies.
  • It may be employed in cooking and as a salad dressing and it has been used as an adulterate of olive oil.
  • They're sick of having to adulterate product and push it on the streets.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
adulterate
 
vb
1.  (tr) to debase by adding inferior material: to adulterate milk with water
 
adj
2.  adulterated; debased or impure
3.  a less common word for adulterous
 
[C16: from Latin adulterāre to corrupt, commit adultery, probably from alter another, hence to approach another, commit adultery]
 
adulter'ation
 
n
 
a'dulterator
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

adulterate
1590s, from L. adulterat-, pp. stem of adulterare "to falsify, corrupt" (see adulteration). Earlier verb was adulter (late 14c.).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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