contaminate
Americanverb (used with object)
noun
adjective
verb
-
to make impure, esp by touching or mixing; pollute
-
to make radioactive by the addition of radioactive material
adjective
Other Word Forms
- contaminable adjective
- contaminant noun
- contaminative adjective
- contaminator noun
- contaminous adjective
- noncontaminable adjective
- noncontaminative adjective
- recontaminate verb (used with object)
- self-contaminating adjective
- uncontaminable adjective
- uncontaminated adjective
- uncontaminative adjective
Etymology
Origin of contaminate
1375–1425; late Middle English contaminaten < Latin contāminātus, past participle of contāmināre to defile, spoil, equivalent to con- con- + -tāminare, verbal derivative of *tāmen something touched < *tag-s-men, equivalent to tag-, variant stem of tangere to touch + -s-men resultative noun suffix; examen
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
People are most often exposed through contact with cats, contaminated fruits or vegetables, or undercooked meat.
From Science Daily
Last week, Nestle and Danone issued recalls in more than 60 countries, including the UK, over potentially contaminated batches.
From BBC
I'm not surprised to see air pollution, it's why we're doing the experiment, but I can't escape a feeling of being dirtied, contaminated… sullied by it.
From BBC
Recalls dated to Friday also affected Croatia and Slovenia, according to an official EU portal listing the countries served by a Danone factory in Germany that used a contaminated ingredient.
From Barron's
The two bacteria are spread through contact with contaminated faeces, either directly through person-to-person transmission or indirectly from unclean food, water or surfaces.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
