impurity

[im-pyoor-i-tee]

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noun, plural im·pu·ri·ties for 2.

the quality or state of being impure.

Often impurities. something that is or makes impure: After the flood the authorities warned against impurities in the drinking water.

Origin of impurity

1400–50; late Middle English impurite < Latin impūritās. See impure, -ity

Synonyms for impurity

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR impurity ON THESAURUS.COM

1. contamination, pollution, taint.

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

Related Words for impurities

scum, grime, pollutant, contamination, filth, defilement, dirt, taint, corruption, adulteration, pestilence, uncleanness, stain, pollution, poisoning

Examples from the Web for impurities

Contemporary Examples of impurities

Water has to be pushed through a semipermeable membrane that blocks the salt and other impurities from going through.
Sun+Water= High Tech Caribbean Luxury At The Cusinart Resort
The Daily Beast
June 11, 2014
Sometimes the heroin can be cut with impurities that make people sick.
Legal, Regulated Heroin Could Have Saved Philip Seymour Hoffman
Valerie Vande Panne
February 18, 2014

Historical Examples of impurities

All the evils and impurities and necessities of men come from the body.
Phaedo
Plato
(b) Impurities may have used up some of the acid which cannot be recovered by charging.
The Automobile Storage Battery
O. A. Witte
(c) Impurities in the electrolyte will also give it a milky appearance.
The Automobile Storage Battery
O. A. Witte
They are not acted upon by the electrolyte, or any of the impurities which may be found in the jar.
The Automobile Storage Battery
O. A. Witte
Impurities of any nature should be removed as quickly as possible.
The Automobile Storage Battery
O. A. Witte

British Dictionary definitions for impurities

impurity

noun plural -ties

the quality of being impure

an impure thing, constituent, or elementimpurities in the water

electronics a small quantity of an element added to a pure semiconductor crystal to control its electrical conductivitySee also acceptor (def. 2), donor (def. 5)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for impurities

impurity

mid-15c., "thing which makes or is impure;" c.1500, "fact or quality of being impure," from Middle French impurité, from impur (see impure). Related: Impurities.