— contaminable , adj. — contaminative , adj. — contaminator , n. — contaminous , adj.
v. /keuhn tam"euh nayt'/ ; n. , adj. /keuhn tam"euh nit, -nayt'/ , v. , contaminated, contaminating , n. , adj.
v.t.
1. to make impure or unsuitable by contact or mixture with something unclean, bad, etc.: to contaminate a lake with sewage.
2. to render harmful or unusable by adding radioactive material to: to contaminate a laboratory.
n.
3. something that contaminates or carries contamination; contaminant.
adj.
4. Obs. contaminated.
[ 1375-1425; late ME contaminaten contaminatus, ptp. of contaminare to defile, spoil, equiv. to con- CON- + -taminare, v. deriv. of * tamen something touched tag-s-men, equiv. to tag-, var. s. of tangere to touch + -s-men resultative n. suffix; cf. EXAMEN ]
Syn. 1. defile, pollute, taint, infect, poison, corrupt.