adulterant
Americannoun
adjective
noun
adjective
Etymology
Origin of adulterant
1745–55; < Latin adulterant- (stem of adulterāns, present participle of adulterāre ), equivalent to ad- ad- + -ulter ( see adulterate) + -ant- -ant
Explanation
An adulterant is a substance that's added to a food, medicine, or other substance that makes it less effective or unsafe. High fructose corn syrup is sometimes used as an adulterant to make honey cheaper. Adulterants are almost always added as a money-saving measure; they consist of substances that are less expensive than the actual product. Adding chicory to coffee without noting the addition on the label makes the chicory an adulterant. Water can be an adulterant too, if it's used to dilute a medication in order to make it cost less (and be less effective). The Latin root of adulterant means "to falsify or alter."
Vocabulary lists containing adulterant
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
If there was about one part of lead to chromium, it was a dead giveaway that the adulterant was being used.
From Salon • Aug. 2, 2023
Department of Agriculture rules would declare salmonella an adulterant — a contaminant that can cause food-borne illness — in breaded and stuffed raw chicken products.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 1, 2022
Department of Agriculture rules would declare salmonella an adulterant - a contaminant that can cause food-borne illness - in breaded and stuffed raw chicken products.
From Washington Times • Aug. 1, 2022
Yet, twenty years after Taylor’s landmark E. coli decision, officials at the F.S.I.S. have failed to declare any other food-borne pathogen to be an adulterant in raw meat.
From The New Yorker • Jan. 26, 2015
Potato flour and flour from cereals are sometimes used in their preparations, but the presence of any material amount, unless so stated on the package, is considered an adulterant.
From Human Foods and Their Nutritive Value by Snyder, Harry
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
