pollute

A2 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /pəˈluːt/ See IPA manual

Freq #28797

Meanings

1

verb
To make air, water, or land dirty and unsafe, especially with harmful substances.

The factory polluted the river when it cleaned its tanks.
2

verb
To spoil something good by adding an unwanted or harmful element.

The lights from the stadium polluted the night sky.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to make air, water, or land... contaminate foul taint

2 verb · to spoil something good by... corrupt blight

Word family

Forms pollutespollutingunpolluted

Derived forms depollutepollutablepolluterpollutiverepolluteself-polluteunpollute

Related forms pollutant pollution

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

pollute the air
to contaminate the air with harmful or unpleasant substances

Verb + noun

Simplified etymology

Pollute comes from Latin polluere, meaning “to soil” or “defile.” Polluere was formed from Latin lutum “mud.”

Etymology

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

polluten Middle English pollūtum Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# pollute

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /pəˈluːt/
**Frequency rank:** 28797

## 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
- Actions & Processes

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