contamination

C2+ Topic:Environment & Ecology

US /kənˌtæməˈneɪʃən/ UK /kənˌtæmɪˈneɪʃən/ See IPA manual

noun

Meanings

1

noun
the act or state of making something impure or polluted

Tests revealed contamination of the water supply.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the act or state of making... pollution defilement impurity adulteration taint corruption infection

Opposites

purificationdecontaminationsterilization

Word family

Related forms contaminate contaminant contaminator

Etymology

From Latin contaminatio(n-), from contaminare ('to defile, pollute'), from contamen ('contact, pollution'), from con- ('together') + tangere ('to touch').

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

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Environment & Ecology Word Formation & Derivatives

# contamination

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** kənˌtæməˈneɪʃən
**IPA (UK):** kənˌtæmɪˈneɪʃən

## Meanings
1. the act or state of making something impure or polluted

## Examples
- Tests revealed contamination of the water supply.

## Synonyms
- pollution
- defilement
- impurity
- adulteration
- taint
- corruption
- infection

## Antonyms
- purification
- decontamination
- sterilization

## Related Forms
- contaminate
- contaminant
- contaminator

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

## Etymology
From Latin contaminatio(n-), from contaminare ('to defile, pollute'), from contamen ('contact, pollution'), from con- ('together') + tangere ('to touch').

## AI Etymology
Contamination comes from Latin contaminatio(n-), from contaminare ('to defile, pollute'), from contamen ('contact, pollution'), from con- ('together') + tangere ('to touch'). The historical trail runs through Latin contaminatio, Latin tangere and Proto-Indo-European *tag-. Morphologically, the surface form is analyzable into prefixes, suffixes, compounds, or participial endings that carry part of the history. In modern use it means the act or state of making something impure or polluted. Related forms include contaminate, contaminant, contaminator.

## Topics
- Environment & Ecology
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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