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contaminate. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
contaminate, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
contaminate in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
contaminate you have here. The definition of the word
contaminate will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
contaminate, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
From Old French contaminer, from Latin contaminare (“to touch together, blend, mingle, corrupt, defile”), from contamen (“contact, defilement, contagion”), related to tangere. More at taste, tax, and taxi.
Pronunciation
Verb
contaminate (third-person singular simple present contaminates, present participle contaminating, simple past and past participle contaminated)
- (transitive) To make something dangerous or toxic by introducing impurities or foreign matter.
This water is contaminated. It isn't safe to drink.
- (transitive) To soil, stain, corrupt, or infect by contact or association.
1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :Shall we now
Contaminate our figures with base bribes?
1766, [Oliver Goldsmith], The Vicar of Wakefield: , volumes (please specify |volume=I or II), Salisbury, Wiltshire: B. Collins, for F Newbery, , →OCLC; reprinted London: Elliot Stock, 1885, →OCLC:I would neither have simplicity imposed upon, nor virtue contaminated.
2014 April 12, Michael Inwood, “Martin Heidegger: the philosopher who fell for Hitler [print version: Hitler's philosopher]”, in The Daily Telegraph (Review), London, page R11:[Martin] Heidegger's repellent political beliefs do not contaminate his philosophical work.
- (transitive) To make unfit for use by the introduction of unwholesome or undesirable elements.
Do not contaminate the peanut butter with the jelly.
- To infect, often with bad objects
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
To introduce impurities or foreign matter
- Bulgarian: замърсявам (bg) (zamǎrsjavam), извършвам зловредно вмешателство (izvǎršvam zlovredno vmešatelstvo)
- Catalan: contaminar (ca)
- Cherokee: ᎧᏁᏌᏢᏍᎦ (kanesatlvsga)
- Czech: znečistit (cs), kontaminovat
- Danish: forurene (da), kontaminere
- Esperanto: kontaĝi (eo)
- Finnish: saastuttaa (fi), pilata (fi)
- French: contaminer (fr), salir (fr)
- Galician: contaminar (gl)
- German: verunreinigen (de); verseuchen (de), kontaminieren (de) (poison or pathogen)
- Greek:
- Ancient: μιαίνω (miaínō), μολύνω (molúnō)
- Irish: truailligh
- Italian: contaminare (it)
- Latin: contāminō
- Maori: tāhawahawa, whakaparu
- Norwegian:
- Bokmål: kontaminere (no)
- Polish: zatruwać (pl), skazić
- Portuguese: contaminar (pt)
- Russian: загрязня́ть (ru) impf (zagrjaznjátʹ), загрязни́ть (ru) pf (zagrjaznítʹ)
- Scottish Gaelic: truaill
- Swedish: kontaminera (sv)
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Further reading
- “contaminate”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “contaminate”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
- “contaminate”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
Italian
Verb
contaminate
- inflection of contaminare:
- second-person plural present indicative
- second-person plural imperative
- feminine plural past participle
Anagrams
Latin
Verb
contāmināte
- second-person plural present active imperative of contāminō
Spanish
Verb
contaminate
- second-person singular voseo imperative of contaminar combined with te