adulteration

[ uh-duhl-tuh-rey-shuh n ]

/ əˌdʌl təˈreɪ ʃən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR adulteration ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act or process of adulterating.

the state of being adulterated.

something adulterated.

RELATED WORDS

deterioration, contamination

Nearby words

Origin of adulteration

1500–10; < Latin adulterātiōn- (stem of adulterātiō); see adulterate, -ion

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for adulteration

Facing or coloring is also an adulteration, since it is done to give poor or damaged tea a brighter appearance.
Human Foods and Their Nutritive Value|Harry Snyder
The adulteration of guano is carried to a great extent in England, and probably will be in this country.
Guano|Solon Robinson
It is always easy to discover the proportion of the adulteration.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines|Andrew Ure
The best mode of detecting this adulteration is by the microscope.
Cooley's Cyclopdia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I|Arnold Cooley

It robs society by the adulteration of products, pushed at the present day beyond all bounds.
Socialism|John Stuart Mill

Word Origin and History for adulteration

adulteration

c.1500, from Latin adulterationem (nominative adulteratio), noun of action from past participle stem of adulterare "corrupt, falsify; debauch; commit adultery," from ad- "to" (see ad-) + Late Latin alterare "to alter" (see alter).

Medicine definitions for adulteration

adulteration

[ ə-dŭl′tə-rā′shən ]

n.

The alteration, especially the debasement, of a substance by deliberately adding something not ordinarily a part of it.