adj.
Pronunciation: ' pyu ̇ r
Function: adjective
Inflected Form: pur · er ; pur · est
Etymology: Middle English pur, from Anglo-French, from Latin purus; akin to Old High German fowen to sift, Sanskrit pun ā ti he cleanses, Middle Irish úr fresh, new
Date: 14th century
1 a (1) : unmixed with any other matter < pure gold> (2) : free from dust, dirt, or taint < pure springwater> (3) : SPOTLESS , STAINLESS b : free from harshness or roughness and being in tune ― used of a musical tone c of a vowel : characterized by no appreciable alteration of articulation during utterance
2 a : being thus and no other : SHEER , UNMITIGATED < pure folly> b (1) : ABSTRACT , THEORETICAL < pure research> (2) : A PRIORI < pure mechanics> c : not directed toward exposition of reality or solution of practical problems < pure literature> d : being nonobjective and to be appraised on formal and technical qualities only < pure form>
3 a (1) : free from what vitiates, weakens, or pollutes (2) : containing nothing that does not properly belong b : free from moral fault or guilt c : marked by chastity : CONTINENT d (1) : of pure blood and unmixed ancestry (2) : homozygous in and breeding true for one or more characters e : ritually clean
4 : having exactly the talents or skills needed for a particular role <a pure shooter in basketball>
synonyms see CHASTE
– pure · ness noun