English Explanatory Dictionary

contamination

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. The act or process of contaminating.
  2. Something which contaminates.
  3. A process whereby words with related meanings come to have similar sounds.
  4. The influence of one form (often from a foreign language) on the historical development of another form to which it may be related in meaning.
  5. The intermingling of readings from multiple sources by a copyist.

Pronunciation

/kənˌtæm.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən/ /kənˌtæm.əˈneɪ.ʃən/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-contamination.wav [kənˌtɛəm.əˈneɪ.ʃən] [kənˌɾ̃æm.əˈneɪ.ʃən] LL-Q1860 (eng)-Simplificationalizer-contamination.wav /kənˌtæm.ɪˈnæɪ.ʃən/

Word forms

contamination contaminations

Etymology

From Latin contāminātiōnem.

Synonyms

adulteration contamination defedation defilement pollution sophistication taint adulterant contaminant impurity pollutant sophisticant adulterator contaminator

Antonyms

conservation decontamination distillation purification

Derived words

anticontamination biocontamination cross-contamination microcontamination noncontamination radiocontamination recontamination xenocontamination
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