contaminate
[ verb kuhn-tam-uh-neyt; noun, adjective kuhn-tam-uh-nit, -neyt ]
/ verb kənˈtæm əˌneɪt; noun, adjective kənˈtæm ə nɪt, -ˌneɪt /
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verb (used with object), con·tam·i·nat·ed, con·tam·i·nat·ing.
to make impure or unsuitable by contact or mixture with something unclean, bad, etc.: to contaminate a lake with sewage.
to render harmful or unusable by adding radioactive material to: to contaminate a laboratory.
noun
something that contaminates or carries contamination; contaminant.
adjective
Obsolete. contaminated.
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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; cf. examen
OTHER WORDS FROM contaminate
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use contaminate in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for contaminate
contaminate
verb (kənˈtæmɪˌneɪt) (tr)
to make impure, esp by touching or mixing; pollute
to make radioactive by the addition of radioactive material
adjective (kənˈtæmɪnɪt, -ˌneɪt)
archaic contaminated
Derived forms of contaminate
contaminable, adjectivecontaminant, nouncontaminative, adjectivecontaminator, nounWord Origin for contaminate
C15: from Latin contamināre to defile; related to Latin contingere to touch
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