contamination

[ kuhn-tam-uh-ney-shuhn ]

noun

1. the act of contaminating, or of making something impure or unsuitable by contact with something unclean, bad, etc.
2. the act of contaminating, or of rendering something harmful or unusable by the addition of radioactive material:

   the contamination of food following a nuclear attack.

3. the state of being contaminated:

   The manufacturer recalled the product because of possible salmonella contamination.

4. Rare. something that contaminates a place or substance, as by making it impure, unsuitable, harmful, or unusable; a contaminant.
5. Linguistics.
   1. an alternation in a linguistic form due to the influence of a related form, as the replacement in English of earlier femelle with female through the influence of male.
   2. the process of forming blends. Compare blend ( def 9 ).

contamination

/ kənˌtæmɪˈneɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of contaminating or the state of being contaminated
2. something that contaminates
3. linguistics the process by which one word or phrase is altered because of mistaken associations with another word or phrase; for example, the substitution of irregardless for regardless by association with such words as irrespective

Other Words From

• noncon·tami·nation noun
• recon·tami·nation noun
• self-con·tami·nation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of contamination¹

1375–1425; late Middle English contaminacioun < Late Latin contāminātiōn- (stem of contāminātiō ), equivalent to contāmināt ( us ) ( contaminate ) + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

Per the agency, the at-risk products were flagged for possible lead contamination following product testing by state programs confirmed by the FDA.

From Salon

Drinking water quality in Camarillo was unaffected; but Gross’ water company, Pleasant Valley Mutual Water Company, notified customers that there is possible fire-related contamination and the water is unsafe to drink.

From Los Angeles Times

He has blamed "contamination" for the findings.

From BBC

Several brands of soft-ripened cheeses, including brie and camembert, have been recalled over potential listeria contamination.

From Salon

The “few retailers” that received the products are aware of the possible listeria contamination and are in the process of removing products from their store shelves, the announcement clarified.

From Salon

Related Words

• contagion
• corruption
• disease
• epidemic
• infection
• poisoning
• pollution