adulterant

American  

[uh-duhl-ter-uhnt] / əˈdʌl tər ənt /

noun

1. a substance that adulterates.

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adjective

1. adulterating.

adulterant British  

/ əˈdʌltərənt /

noun

1. a substance or ingredient that adulterates

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adjective

1. adulterating

Etymology

Origin of adulterant

1745–55; < Latin adulterant- (stem of adulterāns, present participle of adulterāre ), equivalent to ad- ad- + -ulter ( see adulterate) + -ant- -ant

Explanation

An adulterant is a substance that's added to a food, medicine, or other substance that makes it less effective or unsafe. High fructose corn syrup is sometimes used as an adulterant to make honey cheaper. Adulterants are almost always added as a money-saving measure; they consist of substances that are less expensive than the actual product. Adding chicory to coffee without noting the addition on the label makes the chicory an adulterant. Water can be an adulterant too, if it's used to dilute a medication in order to make it cost less (and be less effective). The Latin root of adulterant means "to falsify or alter."

Example Sentences

"This final determination marks the first time that Salmonella is being declared an adulterant in a class of raw poultry products. "

From Salon • May 1, 2024

Department of Agriculture rules would declare salmonella an adulterant — a contaminant that can cause food-borne illness — in breaded and stuffed raw chicken products.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 1, 2022

Department of Agriculture rules would declare salmonella an adulterant - a contaminant that can cause food-borne illness - in breaded and stuffed raw chicken products.

From Washington Times • Aug. 1, 2022

Yet, twenty years after Taylor’s landmark E. coli decision, officials at the F.S.I.S. have failed to declare any other food-borne pathogen to be an adulterant in raw meat.

From The New Yorker • Jan. 26, 2015

Earth, an adulterant of guano, 319; composition of solid crust of, 102.

From Manures and the principles of manuring by Aikman, Charles Morton