pollution

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noun

the act of polluting or the state of being polluted.

the introduction of harmful substances or products into the environment: air pollution.

Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English pollucioun (< Old French) < Late Latin pollūtiōn-, stem of pollūtiō defilement; see pollute, -ion

Related forms

self-pol·lu·tion, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To pollution

Collins

World English Dictionary

pollution (pəˈluːʃən)

—n
1.	the act of polluting or the state of being polluted
2.	harmful or poisonous substances introduced into an environment

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Relevant Questions

What Is A Pollutant?

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00:10

Pollution is always a great word to know.

So is interrobang. Does it mean:

a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.

a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.

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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

pollution

c.1340, "discharge of semen other than during sex," later, "desecration, defilement" (late 14c.), 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, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

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

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.
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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American Heritage

Science Dictionary

pollution

(pə-l

'shən) Pronunciation Key
The contamination of air, water, or soil by substances that are harmful to living organisms. Pollution can occur naturally, for example through volcanic eruptions, or as the result of human activities, such as the spilling of oil or disposal of industrial waste. ◇ Light from cities and towns at night that interferes with astronomical observations is known as light pollution. It can also disturb natural rhythms of growth in plants and other organisms. ◇ Continuous noise that is loud enough to be annoying or physically harmful is known as noise pollution. ◇ Heat from hot water that is discharged from a factory into a river or lake, where it can kill or endanger aquatic life, is known as thermal pollution.

Encyclopedia Britannica

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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Example sentences

Radioactive contamination may be the one case for which the solution to

pollution really is dilution.

This is wasting more energy and creating even more pollution.

But the pollution the military left behind may imperil paradise.

Much of the pollution comes from mine tailings, or residues.

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Matching Quote

"The car as we know it is on the way out. To a large extent, I deplore its passing, for as a basically old- fashioned machine, it enshrines a basically old-fashioned idea: freedom. In terms of pollution, noise and human life, the price of that freedom may be high, but perhaps the car, by the very muddle and confusion it causes, may be holding back the remorseless spread of the regimented, electronic society."

-J.G. Ballard