pollution

[puh-loo-shuh n]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pollution ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act of polluting or the state of being polluted.

the introduction of harmful substances or products into the environment: air pollution.

Origin of pollution

1350–1400; Middle English pollucioun (< Old French) < Late Latin pollūtiōn-, stem of pollūtiō defilement; see pollute, -ion

Related formsself-pol·lu·tion, noun

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

Related Words for pollution

abuse, infection, corruption, deterioration, desecration, defilement, taint, profanation, misuse, decomposition, adulteration, blight, uncleanness, foulness, impairment, impurity, rottenness, vitiation, spoliation

Examples from the Web for pollution

Contemporary Examples of pollution

No one really argues with the massive amount of pollution and toxins.
Our Trip to The Climate War's Ground Zero
Darren Aronofsky
September 19, 2014
States and utility companies will have a range of options for meeting the pollution reduction targets.
EPA’s New Regulations to Cut Carbon Emissions Are Obamacare for the Air
Jason Mark
June 2, 2014
The pollution that 1970s environmentalism targeted was also more concrete.
Green Politics Has to Get More Radical, Because Anything Less Is Impractical
Jedediah Purdy
April 26, 2014
Fisheries, already stressed by pollution and over-harvesting, will now confront warming and acidification.
Climate Change Needs the Politics of the Impossible
Jedediah Purdy
April 6, 2014
Public health officials point to pollution in the air, never pointing out the pollution in the gut.
New Research Shows Poorly Understood “Leaky Gut Syndrome” Is Real, May Be the Cause of Several Diseases
Daniela Drake
March 27, 2014

Historical Examples of pollution

And its incorporation is by no means equivalent to the pollution of epic.
An Essay on Satire, Particularly on the Dunciad
Walter Harte
Mere contact with an unbaptized person was considered a pollution.
Roman Catholicism in Spain
Anonymous
But to learn any other language was pollution to a Jew, to teach a Jew any other was pollution to a Christian.
Dreamers of the Ghetto
I. Zangwill
To protect properly a well from gross pollution, two precautions should be observed.
Rural Hygiene
Henry N. Ogden
Limestone is even more dangerous if any pollution exists in the vicinity.
Rural Hygiene
Henry N. Ogden

British Dictionary definitions for pollution

pollution

noun

the act of polluting or the state of being polluted

harmful or poisonous substances introduced into an environment

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 pollution

mid-14c., "discharge of semen other than during sex," later, "desecration, defilement" (late 14c.), from Late Latin pollutionem (nominative pollutio) "defilement," noun of action from past participle stem of Latin polluere "to soil, defile, contaminate," from por- "before" + -luere "smear," from PIE root *leu- "dirt; make dirty" (cf. Latin lutum "mud, mire, clay," lues "filth;" Greek lyma "filth, dirt, disgrace," lymax "rubbish, refuse;" Old Irish loth "mud, dirt;" Lithuanian lutynas "pool, puddle"). Sense of "contamination of the environment" first recorded c.1860, but not common until c.1955.

pollution in Medicine

pollution

[pə-lōō′shən]

n.

The act or process of polluting or the state of being polluted, especially the contamination of soil, water, or the atmosphere by the discharge of harmful substances.

A pollutant or group of pollutants.

pollution in Science

pollution

[pə-lōō′shən]

The contamination of air, water, or soil by substances that are harmful to living organisms. Pollution can occur naturally, for example through volcanic eruptions, or as the result of human activities, such as the spilling of oil or disposal of industrial waste.♦ Light from cities and towns at night that interferes with astronomical observations is known as light pollution. It can also disturb natural rhythms of growth in plants and other organisms.♦ Continuous noise that is loud enough to be annoying or physically harmful is known as noise pollution.♦ Heat from hot water that is discharged from a factory into a river or lake, where it can kill or endanger aquatic life, is known as thermal pollution.