contaminate — to make something dirty, polluted, or poisonous by adding harmful substances
Part of speech: VERB
Definition: to make something dirty, polluted, or poisonous by adding harmful substances
Pronunciation (IPA): /kənˈtæməneɪt/
Example Sentences
- My roommate's cooking experiments contaminated our entire kitchen with mysterious smells.
- Scientists worry that microplastics contaminate our drinking water.
- His negative attitude contaminated the whole team's motivation.
contaminate
VERB[/kənˈtæməneɪt/]
to make something dirty, polluted, or poisonous by adding harmful substances
Toxic chemicals contaminate clean river water
Eliminate what they contaminate, terminate the threat!
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From Latin 'contaminatus', past participle of 'contaminare', which combines 'con-' (together) and 'taminare' (to defile or pollute). The Latin root 'taminare' is related to 'tabes' meaning decay or corruption.
Breakdown
con- (together/with) + tamin- (defile/pollute) + -ate (verb suffix) = contaminate
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“My roommate's cooking experiments contaminated our entire kitchen with mysterious smells.”
“Scientists worry that microplastics contaminate our drinking water.”
“His negative attitude contaminated the whole team's motivation.”
“She was afraid her terrible singing would contaminate the choir performance.”
📚Related Words
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