pure

[pyoor]

adjective

purer, purest 

1. free from anything of a different, inferior, or contaminating kind; free from extraneous matter.

   pure gold;

   pure water.

   Synonyms: immaculate, unstained, unalloyed, unadulterated, unmixed

2. unmodified by an admixture; simple or homogeneous.

3. of unmixed descent or ancestry.

   a pure breed of dog.

4. free from foreign or inappropriate elements.

   pure Attic Greek.

5. clear; free from blemishes.

   pure skin.

6. (of literary style) straightforward; unaffected.

7. abstract or theoretical (applied ).

   pure science.

8. without any discordant quality; clear and true.

   pure tones in music.

9. absolute; utter; sheer.

   to sing for pure joy.

10. being that and nothing else; mere.

    a pure accident.

11. clean, spotless, or unsullied.

    pure hands.

12. untainted with evil; innocent.

    pure in heart.

    Synonyms: virtuous, modest

13. physically chaste; virgin.

14. ceremonially or ritually clean.

15. free of or without guilt; guiltless.

16. independent of sense or experience.

    pure knowledge.

17. Biology, Genetics.

    1. homozygous.

    2. containing only one characteristic for a trait.

18. Phonetics.,  monophthongal.

pure

/ pjʊə /

adjective

1. not mixed with any extraneous or dissimilar materials, elements, etc

   pure nitrogen

2. free from tainting or polluting matter; clean; wholesome

   pure water

3. free from moral taint or defilement

   pure love

4. (prenominal) (intensifier)

   pure stupidity

   a pure coincidence

5. (of a subject, etc) studied in its theoretical aspects rather than for its practical applications Compare applied

   pure mathematics

   pure science

6. (of a vowel) pronounced with more or less unvarying quality without any glide; monophthongal

7. (of a consonant) not accompanied by another consonant

8. of supposedly unmixed racial descent

9. genetics biology breeding true for one or more characteristics; homozygous

10. music

    1. (of a sound) composed of a single frequency without overtones

    2. (of intervals in the system of just intonation) mathematically accurate in respect to the ratio of one frequency to another

Other Word Forms

• pureness noun
• hyperpure adjective
• hyperpurely adverb
• hyperpureness noun
• superpure adjective
• unpure adjective
• unpurely adverb
• unpureness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of pure¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English pur, from Old French, from Latin pūrus “clean, unmixed, plain, pure”

Word History and Origins

Origin of pure¹

C13: from Old French pur, from Latin pūrus unstained

Synonym Study

See clean.

Example Sentences

I always think if my intentions are pure, nothing’s gonna get hairy.

From Los Angeles Times

His bond with Indy is pure and strong, yet one-sided in that Todd is too distracted to ease the dog’s fears.

From Los Angeles Times

In June, the streets of Ballymena in County Antrim saw several nights of violence disorder, described by police as "racist thuggery, pure and simple".

From BBC

This isn’t about flashy sauces or rolls; it’s about letting extraordinary fish and seafood shine in their purest form.

From Salon

Manchester United manager Marc Skinner described Beard as an "icon" and England legend Fara Williams said Beard was "one of a kind and had the purest of souls".

From BBC

Related Words

• authentic 
• bright 
• classic 
• natural 
• neat 
• perfect 
• plain 
• real 
• simple 
• transparent 
• true 
• unadulterated