purity

[pyoor-i-tee]

noun

1. the condition or quality of being pure; freedom from anything that debases, contaminates, pollutes, etc..

   the purity of drinking water.

2. freedom from any admixture or modifying addition.

3. ceremonial or ritual cleanness.

4. freedom from guilt or evil; innocence.

5. physical chastity; virginity.

6. freedom from foreign or inappropriate elements; careful correctness.

   purity of expression.

7. Optics.,  the chroma, saturation, or degree of freedom from white of a given color.

8. cleanness or spotlessness, as of garments.

purity

/ ˈpjʊərɪtɪ /

noun

1. the state or quality of being pure

2. physics a measure of the amount of a single-frequency colour in a mixture of spectral and achromatic colours

Other Word Forms

• hyperpurity noun
• superpurity noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of purity¹

1175–1225; < Late Latin pūritās ( pure, -ity ); replacing Middle English pur ( e ) te < Anglo-French < Late Latin, as above

Example Sentences

No government has complete purity of policy across the board.

Read more on BBC

Such trivial concerns were left to lesser schools, institutions that perhaps couldn’t appreciate the sanctity of a 10-week regular season, the purity of life without football scholarships, or the venerable tradition of Harvard-Yale.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Their wings, in shades of lavender, green and red, represented certain crystals and traits: amethyst as one of calm and purity, malachite as one of protection and rose garnet for healing and love.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

"The quality or purity of this material is so high that the quantum coherence properties of these atoms become superb."

Read more on Science Daily

The thieves cut the coin in smaller pieces to sell it off, leaving their clothes, cars and homes sprinkled with gold dust of extraordinary purity.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• cleanliness