contaminate

American  

[kuhn-tam-uh-neyt, kuhn-tam-uh-nit, -neyt] / kənˈtæm əˌneɪt, kənˈtæm ə nɪt, -ˌneɪt /

verb (used with object)

contaminated, contaminating

1. to make impure or unsuitable by contact or mixture with something unclean, bad, etc..

   to contaminate a lake with sewage.

   Synonyms:

   corrupt, poison, infect, taint, pollute, defile

2. to render harmful or unusable by adding radioactive material to.

   to contaminate a laboratory.

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noun

1. something that contaminates or carries contamination; contaminant.

adjective

1. Obsolete. contaminated.

contaminate British  

verb

1. to make impure, esp by touching or mixing; pollute

2. to make radioactive by the addition of radioactive material

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adjective

1. archaic contaminated

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

Related Words

• corrupt
• harm
• infect
• injure
• poison
• pollute
• stain
• taint
• tarnish