pollute
[ puh-loot ]
/ pəˈlut /
verb (used with object), pol·lut·ed, pol·lut·ing.
to make foul or unclean, especially with harmful chemical or waste products; dirty: to pollute the air with smoke.
to make morally unclean; defile.
to render ceremonially impure; desecrate: to pollute a house of worship.
Informal.
to render less effective or efficient: The use of inferior equipment has polluted the company's service.
Origin of pollute
1325–75; Middle English
polute < Latin
pollūtus past participle of
polluere to soil, defile, equivalent to
pol-, assimilated variant of
por- (see
pollicitation; here marking the action as complete) +
-lū- base of
-luere (akin to
lutum mud, dirt,
lustrum muddy place) +
-tus past participle suffix
ANTONYMS FOR pollute
1, 2
purify.
OTHER WORDS FROM pollute
pol·lut·er, noun pol·lu·tive, adjective non·pol·lut·ing, adjective un·pol·lut·ing, adjectiveWords nearby pollute
British Dictionary definitions for non-polluting
pollute
/ (pəˈluːt) /
verb (tr)
to contaminate, as with poisonous or harmful substances
to make morally corrupt or impure; sully
to desecrate or defile
Derived forms of pollute
polluter, nounWord Origin for pollute
C14
polute, from Latin
polluere to defile
Medical definitions for non-polluting
pollute
[ pə-lōōt′ ]
v.
To make unfit for or harmful to living things, especially by the addition of waste matter; contaminate.
To make less suitable for an activity, especially by the introduction of unwanted factors.