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pollute

[ puh-loot ]
/ pəˈlut /
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See synonyms for: pollute / polluted / polluting on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), pol·lut·ed, pol·lut·ing.
to make foul or unclean, especially with harmful chemical or waste products; dirty: to pollute the air with smoke.
to make morally unclean; defile.
to render ceremonially impure; desecrate: to pollute a house of worship.
Informal. to render less effective or efficient: The use of inferior equipment has polluted the company's service.
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Origin of pollute

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English polute, from Latin pollĆ«tus, past participle of polluere “to soil, defile,” equivalent to pol-, assimilated variant of por- “forth, forward” (variant of prefix per- ), here marking completed action + -lĆ«- base of -luere (akin to lutum “mud, dirt,” lustrum “muddy place”) + -tus past participle suffix; see per-

OTHER WORDS FROM pollute

pol·lut·er, nounpol·lu·tive, adjectivenon·pol·lut·ing, adjectiveun·pol·lut·ing, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pollute in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pollute

pollute
/ (pəˈluːt) /

verb (tr)
to contaminate, as with poisonous or harmful substances
to make morally corrupt or impure; sully
to desecrate or defile

Derived forms of pollute

polluter, noun

Word Origin for pollute

C14 polute, from Latin polluere to defile
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
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