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contaminate

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The definition of contaminate is to infect, corrupt or make impure.

(verb)

An example of contaminate is to accidentally place raw chicken on the counter and not clean it up.

See contaminate in Webster's New World College Dictionary

transitive verb contaminated, contaminating

to make impure, infected, corrupt, radioactive, etc. by contact with or addition of something; pollute; defile; sully; taint

Origin: ME contaminaten < L contaminatus, pp. of contaminare, to defile < contamen, contact, contagion < com-, together + base of tangere, to touch: see tact

Related Forms:

contaminative adjective
contaminator noun

See contaminate in American Heritage Dictionary 4

transitive verb con·tam·i·nated, con·tam·i·nat·ing, con·tam·i·nates

To make impure or unclean by contact or mixture.
To expose to or permeate with radioactivity.

noun (-nĭt)

One that contaminates; a contaminant.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English contaminaten

Origin: , from Latin contāmināre, contāmināt-; see tag- in Indo-European roots

Related Forms:

con·tamˈi·naˌtive adjective

con·tamˈi·naˌtor noun

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