Meaning of CONTAMINATE
| Pronunciation: | | [adj]kun'tamunit, [v]kun'tamu`neyt, kun'tami`neyt
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 WordNet Dictionary |
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| | Definition: | |
- [v] make impure; "The industrial wastes polluted the lake"
- [v] make radioactive by adding radioactive material; "Don't drink the water--it's contaminated"
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| | Synonyms: | | foul, pollute |
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| | Antonyms: | | decontaminate | | |
| | See Also: | | alter, begrime, bemire, change, colly, dirty, grime, infect, soil, taint | |
| Webster's 1913 Dictionary |
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| | Definition: | |
\Con*tam"i*nate\ (k[o^]n*t[a^]m"[i^]*n[=a]t), v. t.
[imp. & p. p. {Contaminated}; p. pr. & vb. n.
{Contaminating}.] [L. contaminatus, p. p. of contaminare to
bring into contact, to contaminate, fr. contamen contagion,
for contagmen; con- + root of tangere to touch. See
{Contact}.]
To soil, stain, or corrupt by contact; to tarnish; to sully;
to taint; to pollute; to defile.
Shall we now Contaminate our figures with base bribes?
--Shak.
I would neither have simplicity imposed upon, nor
virtue contaminated. --Goldsmith.
Syn: To pollute; defile; sully; taint; tarnish; soil; stain;
corrupt.
\Con*tam"i*nate\ (-n[asl]t), a.
Contaminated; defiled; polluted; tainted. ``Contaminate
drink.'' --Daniel.
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| Thesaurus Terms |
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| | Related Terms: | | activate, adulterate, alloy, bastardize, befoul, benasty, canker, charge, cheapen, coarsen, confound, corrupt, cut, debase, debauch, defile, deflower, degenerate, degrade, denaturalize, denature, deprave, desecrate, despoil, devalue, dilute, dirty, disease, distort, doctor, doctor up, fortify, foul, harm, infect, injure, irradiate, lace, mess, mess up, misuse, nasty, pervert, poison, pollute, prostitute, radiumize, ravage, ravish, rot, soil, spike, spoil, stain, sully, taint, tamper with, tarnish, twist, ulcerate, violate, vitiate, vulgarize, warp, water, water down |
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