Added 8 October 2026
pure
/ˈpjʊə/ adjective
In Latin: purus Wiktionary
adjective Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about pure at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
-
Free of extraneous elements of any kind.
pure air and water
-
Without qualification; used informally as (often pejorative) intensifiers.
an arrant fool
- (of color) being chromatically pure; not diluted with white or grey or black.
Origin
From Middle English pure, pur, from Old French pur, from Latin pūrus (“clean, free from dirt or filth, unmixed, plain”), from Proto-Indo-European *pewH- (“to cleanse, purify”). Displaced native Middle English lutter (“pure, clear, sincere”) (from Old English hlūtor, hluttor), Middle English skere (“pure, sheer, clear”) (from Old English scǣre and Old Norse skǣr), Middle English schir (“clear, pure”) (from Old English scīr), Middle English smete, smeate (“pure, refined”) (from Old English smǣte; compare Old English mǣre (“pure”)).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)