contaminant

C2+ Topic:Materials & Substances

US /kənˈtæmənənt/ UK /kənˈtæmɪnənt/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
a substance that pollutes or makes something impure

Tests revealed a toxic contaminant in the drinking water.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a substance that pollutes... pollutant impurity adulterant poison toxin taint

Opposites

purifiercleanser

Word family

Related forms contaminate contamination contaminator

Etymology

From Latin contaminant-, present participle stem of contaminare ('to defile, pollute'), from contamen ('contact, pollution'), ultimately from con- ('together') + tangere ('to touch').

contaminare Latin tangere Latin *tag- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Materials & Substances Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# contaminant

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /kənˈtæmənənt/
**IPA (UK):** /kənˈtæmɪnənt/

## Meanings
1. a substance that pollutes or makes something impure

## Examples
- Tests revealed a toxic contaminant in the drinking water.

## Synonyms
- pollutant
- impurity
- adulterant
- poison
- toxin
- taint

## Antonyms
- purifier
- cleanser

## Related Forms
- contaminate
- contamination
- contaminator

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: contaminare
- Root: tangere
- Root: *tag-

## Etymology
From Latin contaminant-, present participle stem of contaminare ('to defile, pollute'), from contamen ('contact, pollution'), ultimately from con- ('together') + tangere ('to touch').

## AI Etymology
Contaminant is a noun meaning "a substance that pollutes or makes something impure". Historically, it is from Latin contaminant-, present participle stem of contaminare ('to defile, pollute'), from contamen ('contact, pollution'), ultimately from con- ('together') + tangere ('to touch'). The visible construction is part of the etymology: contaminant is not just an unanalyzed simple word. The historical chain links Latin contaminare, Latin tangere, and Proto-Indo-European *tag-. Close English family members include contaminate, contamination, and contaminator.

## Topics
- Materials & Substances
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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