Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Related Searches
on Ask.com
Synonyms
Nearby Entries
Definition of pure - 7 dictionary results

pure

  [pyoor]
Use pure in a Sentence
–adjective, pur⋅er, pur⋅est.
1. free from anything of a different, inferior, or contaminating kind; free from extraneous matter: pure gold; pure water.
2. unmodified by an admixture; simple or homogeneous.
3. of unmixed descent or ancestry: a pure breed of dog.
4. free from foreign or inappropriate elements: pure Attic Greek.
5. clear; free from blemishes: pure skin.
6. (of literary style) straightforward; unaffected.
7. abstract or theoretical (opposed to applied ): pure science.
8. without any discordant quality; clear and true: pure tones in music.
9. absolute; utter; sheer: to sing for pure joy.
10. being that and nothing else; mere: a pure accident.
11. clean, spotless, or unsullied: pure hands.
12. untainted with evil; innocent: pure in heart.
13. physically chaste; virgin.
14. ceremonially or ritually clean.
15. free of or without guilt; guiltless.
16. independent of sense or experience: pure knowledge.
17. Biology, Genetics.
a. homozygous.
b. containing only one characteristic for a trait.
18. Phonetics. monophthongal.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME pur < OF < L pūrus clean, unmixed, plain, pure

Related forms:
pureness, noun

Synonyms:
1. unmixed, unadulterated, unalloyed, uncontaminated, untainted, unstained, undefiled, untarnished, immaculate, unpolluted, uncorrupted. See clean. 12. modest, virtuous, undefiled.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To pure
pure   (pyŏŏr)   
adj.   pur·er, pur·est
  1. Having a homogeneous or uniform composition; not mixed: pure oxygen.
  2. Free from adulterants or impurities: pure chocolate.
  3. Free of dirt, defilement, or pollution: "A memory without blot or contamination must be . . . an inexhaustible source of pure refreshment" (Charlotte Brontë).
  4. Free of foreign elements.
  5. Containing nothing inappropriate or extraneous: a pure literary style.
  6. Complete; utter: pure folly.
  7. Having no faults; sinless: "I felt pure and sweet as a new baby" (Sylvia Plath).
  8. Chaste; virgin.
  9. Of unmixed blood or ancestry.
  10. Genetics Produced by self-fertilization or continual inbreeding; homozygous: a pure line.
  11. Music Free from discordant qualities: pure tones.
  12. Linguistics Articulated with a single unchanging speech sound; monophthongal: a pure vowel.
  13. Theoretical: pure science.
  14. Philosophy Free of empirical elements: pure reason.

[Middle English pur, from Old French, from Latin pūrus; see peuə- in Indo-European roots.]
pure'ly adv., pure'ness n.
Synonyms: These adjectives mean free of extraneous elements: pure gold; absolute oxygen; sheer alcohol; a simple substance; unadulterated coffee.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Pure

Pure\, a. [Compar. Purer; superl. Purest.] [OE. pur, F. pur, fr. L. purus; akin to putus pure, clear, putare to clean, trim, prune, set in order, settle, reckon, consider, think, Skr. p? to clean, and perh. E. fire. Cf. Putative.]

1. Separate from all heterogeneous or extraneous matter; free from mixture or combination; clean; mere; simple; unmixed; as, pure water; pure clay; pure air; pure compassion.

The pure fetters on his shins great. --Chaucer.

A guinea is pure gold if it has in it no alloy. --I. Watts.

2. Free from moral defilement or quilt; hence, innocent; guileless; chaste; -- applied to persons. "Keep thyself pure." --1 Tim. v. 22.

Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience. --1 Tim. i. 5.

3. Free from that which harms, vitiates, weakens, or pollutes; genuine; real; perfect; -- applied to things and actions. "Pure religion and impartial laws." --Tickell. "The pure, fine talk of Rome." --Ascham.

Such was the origin of a friendship as warm and pure as any that ancient or modern history records. --Macaulay.

4. (Script.) Ritually clean; fitted for holy services.

Thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before the Lord. --Lev. xxiv. 6.

5. (Phonetics) Of a single, simple sound or tone; -- said of some vowels and the unaspirated consonants.

Pure-impure, completely or totally impure. "The inhabitants were pure-impure pagans." --Fuller.

Pure blue. (Chem.) See Methylene blue, under Methylene.

Pure chemistry. See under Chemistry.

Pure mathematics, that portion of mathematics which treats of the principles of the science, or contradistinction to applied mathematics, which treats of the application of the principles to the investigation of other branches of knowledge, or to the practical wants of life. See Mathematics. --Davies & Peck (Math. Dict. )

Pure villenage (Feudal Law), a tenure of lands by uncertain services at the will of the lord. --Blackstone.

Syn: Unmixed; clear; simple; real; true; genuine; unadulterated; uncorrupted; unsullied; untarnished; unstained; stainless; clean; fair; unspotted; spotless; incorrupt; chaste; unpolluted; undefiled; immaculate; innocent; guiltless; guileless; holy.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Cite This Source
Language Translation for : pure
Spanish: puro,
German: pur,
Japanese: 純粋な
More Translations »

pure 
1297, "unmixed," also "absolutely, entirely," from O.Fr. pur (12c.), from L. purus "clean, clear, unmixed, chaste," from PIE base *peu-/*pu- "to purify, cleanse" (cf. L. putus "clear, pure," Skt. pavate "purifies, cleanses," putah "pure," M.Ir. ur "fresh, new," O.H.G. fowen "to sift"). Replaced O.E. hlutor. Meaning "free from moral corruption" is first recorded c.1340. In ref. to bloodlines, attested from c.1475 (pureblood (n.) is recorded from 1882). Purist first recorded 1706, on model of Fr. puriste (1586), originally in ref. to speech.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source

Main Entry: pure
Function: adjective
1 a : unmixed with any other matter b : free from dirt or taint
2 : being thus and nothing other pure no-fault compensation system> —pure·ly adverb —pure·ness noun
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source

Main Entry: pure
Pronunciation: 'pyu(&)r
Function: adjective
Inflected Forms: pur·er; pur·est
1 : unmixed withany other matter <pure gold>
2 : free from dust, dirt, or taint <pure food>
3 a : of unmixed ancestry : PUREBRED b : homozygous in and breeding true for one or more characters —pure·ness noun
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source

pure (py&oobreve;r)
adj. pur·er, pur·est

  1. Having a homogeneous or uniform composition; not mixed.
  2. Free from adulterants or impurities.
  3. Produced by self-fertilization or continual inbreeding; homozygous.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see pure on Thesaurus | Reference