contaminate
Pronunciation
This text is extracted from the Wiktionary and it is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license | Terms and conditions | Privacy policy 0.003
Pronunciation
- IPA: /kənˈtæmɪneɪt/
contaminate (contaminates, present participle contaminating; past and past participle contaminated)
- (transitive) To make something dangerous or toxic by introducing impurities or foreign matter.
- This water is contaminated. It isn't safe to drink.
- (transitive) To soil, stain, corrupt, or infect by contact or association.
- 1599, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Ivlivs Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358 ↗, [Act IV, scene iii]:
- Shall we now / Contaminate our figures with base bribes?
- I would neither have simplicity imposed upon, nor virtue contaminated.
- (transitive) To make unfit for use by the introduction of unwholesome or undesirable elements.
- Do not contaminate the peanut butter with the jelly.
- To infect, often with bad objects
- French: contaminer, salir
- German: verunreinigen; verseuchen, kontaminieren (poison or pathogen)
- Italian: contaminare
- Portuguese: contaminar
- Russian: загрязня́ть
This text is extracted from the Wiktionary and it is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license | Terms and conditions | Privacy policy 0.003