## Meanings
1. To make air, water, or land dirty and unsafe, especially with harmful substances.
2. To spoil something good by adding an unwanted or harmful element.

## Examples
- The factory polluted the river when it cleaned its tanks.
- The lights from the stadium polluted the night sky.

## Derived Forms
- depollute
- pollutable
- polluter
- pollutive
- repollute
- self-pollute
- unpollute

## Related Forms
- pollutant
- pollution

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: polluten
- Root: pollūtum

## Etymology
From Middle English polluten, borrowed from Latin pollūtum, from pollūtus (“no longer virgin", "unchaste”), perfect passive participle of polluō (“soil", "defile", "dishonor”).

## AI Etymology
Pollute comes from Middle English polluten, borrowed from Latin pollūtum, from pollūtus (“no longer virgin", "unchaste”), perfect passive participle of polluō (“soil", "defile", "dishonor”). The historical chain includes polluten (Middle English), pollūtum (Latin). In present-day English it covers to make air, water, or land dirty and unsafe, especially with harmful substances and to spoil something good by adding an unwanted or harmful element. The wider family includes derived forms such as depollute, pollutable, polluter, pollutive, repollute and related forms such as pollutant, pollution.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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pollute

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