noun
contamination
kuhn-tam-ih-NAY-shuhn
noun
1
The act of making something impure or unsafe, or the harmful substance responsible for it.
"Radioactive contamination forced the evacuation of the area."
"Lab staff wear gloves to avoid contamination of the samples."
How to Use Contamination
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe presence of something harmful that has made a place, substance, or sample unsafe or impure.
Common pairings
risk of contamination
cross-contamination
soil contamination
Word Forms
contaminations plural
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Radioactive _____ forced the evacuation of the area.
Etymology
From Latin contaminationem, from contaminare, "to defile or corrupt."