purity

American  

[pyoor-i-tee] / ˈpyʊər ɪ ti /

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.

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purity British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

• hyperpurity noun
• superpurity noun

Etymology

Origin of purity

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

Example Sentences

Someone with the virginal purity of a political outsider and the intrinsic capability of an insider who’s spent decades cutting deals and keeping the government wheels spinning.

From Los Angeles Times

To his peers, Newman’s purity was unsettling and his transition from criticism to painting, an affront.

From The Wall Street Journal

They are basking in the sun with their ancestors and it’s purity, it’s love, it’s freedom.

From Los Angeles Times

Your piece on semiconductor water purity may have overlooked something important.

From MarketWatch

Artists have always been open to using the most advanced tools, because the greatness of the work has never depended on the rustic purity of their instruments.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• cleanliness