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Definition of pollution - 8 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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A Call to Save Water
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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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Pollution

Pol*lu"tion\, n. [L. pollutio: cf. F. pollution.]

1. The act of polluting, or the state of being polluted (in any sense of the verb); defilement; uncleanness; impurity.

2. (Med.) The emission of semen, or sperm, at other times than in sexual intercourse. --Dunglison.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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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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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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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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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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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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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