contamination
nounUK /kənˌtæm.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən/ · US /kənˌtæm.əˈneɪ.ʃən/
Etymology From Latin contāminātiōnem.
1
The act or process of contaminating.
2
Something which contaminates.
3
Human sciences, Linguistics, Sciences A process whereby words with related meanings come to have similar sounds.
4
Etymology, Human sciences, Linguistics, Sciences The influence of one form (often from a foreign language) on the historical development of another form to which it may be related in meaning.
5
Human sciences, Linguistics, Sciences, Textual criticism The intermingling of readings from multiple sources by a copyist.
- Synonyms
- adulteration, contamination, defedation, defilement, pollution, sophistication
- Antonyms
- conservation, decontamination, distillation, purification
- Derived terms
- anticontamination, biocontamination, cross-contamination, microcontamination, noncontamination, radiocontamination, recontamination, xenocontamination
- Hypernyms
- change, impurification, desterilization