contaminate

CEFRC1

/kənˈtæmɪneɪt/

verb

Türkçe translations

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In plain English

  1. 01

    verb

    To make something dirty, harmful, or unsafe.

  2. 02

    verb

    Extra detail

    To make unfit for use by the introduction of unwholesome or undesirable elements.

Examples

  • I don't want to contaminate the clean glasses by taking them out of the dishwasher.

  • If you don't wash your hand before working, you'll contaminate the samples.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • /kənˈtæmɪnæɪt/

Deep Dive

verb

Extra meanings

  1. To soil, stain, corrupt, or infect by contact or association.

  2. To make something dangerous or toxic by introducing impurities or foreign matter.

  3. To infect, usually of a deadly virus.

More examples

In context

  • Do not contaminate the peanut butter with the jelly.

  • This water is contaminated. It isn't safe to drink.

  • Bombs and munitions meanwhile contain toxic substances that contaminate soil, water, and vegetation.

Synonyms

Quick test

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Raw chicken left on the counter can easily blank the salad ingredients nearby.

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Nearby

Origin

verb

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.