Added 9 October 2026
contaminate
/kənˈtæmɪneɪt/ verb
In Latin: contāminō Wiktionary
verb Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about contaminate at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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Make impure.
The industrial wastes polluted the lake
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Make radioactive by adding radioactive material.
Don't drink the water--it's contaminated
Origin
First attested in the early 15ᵗʰ century, in Middle English; from Middle English contaminaten (“to defile; to infect with desease”), from contaminat(e) (“sullied, defiled; infected with desease”, also used as the past participle of contaminaten) + -en (verb-forming suffix), from Latin contāminātus, the perfect passive participle of contāminō (“to touch together, blend, mingle, corrupt, defile”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), which see for further informations. More at taste, tax, and taxi.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)