different between contaminate vs purify

English

Etymology

From Old French contaminer, from Latin contaminare (“to touch together, blend, mingle, corrupt, defile”), from contamen (“contact, defilement, contagion”), related to tangere.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /k?n?tæm?ne?t/

Verb

contaminate (third-person singular simple present contaminates, present participle contaminating, simple past and past participle contaminated)

1. (transitive) To make something dangerous or toxic by introducing impurities or foreign matter.

2. (transitive) To soil, stain, corrupt, or infect by contact or association.
   • I would neither have simplicity imposed upon, nor virtue contaminated.
3. (transitive) To make unfit for use by the introduction of unwholesome or undesirable elements.

4. To infect, often with bad objects

Related terms

• contaminable
• contamination
• contaminative

Translations

Further reading

• contaminate in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• contaminate in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• contaminate at OneLook Dictionary Search

Italian

Verb

contaminate

1. second-person plural present of contaminare
2. second-person plural imperative of contaminare
3. feminine plural past participle of contaminare

Latin

Verb

cont?min?te

1. second-person plural present active imperative of cont?min?

English

Etymology

From Middle English purifien, purifyen, from Old French purifier, purifiier, from Latin p?rific?, p?rific?re, from p?rus (“pure; clean”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?pj????fa?/

Verb

purify (third-person singular simple present purifies, present participle purifying, simple past and past participle purified)

1. (transitive) To cleanse, or rid of impurities.
2. (transitive) To free from guilt or sin.
3. (intransitive) To become pure.

Antonyms

• defile

Related terms

• puritan

Translations