🇵🇹Portuguese Source WordCode: PT

contaminante

Pronunciation / Transliteration: kõtɐmiˈnɐ̃tʃi

🇬🇧 Direct English Meaning:
Contaminant/kənˈtæmɪnənt/
nounCEFR B2 (Upper)Top #1500 frequency
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🇵🇹 Example Sentence in Portuguese:

"A água estava poluída por um contaminante químico."

Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As noun
  1. 1

    A substance that makes something impure or unclean by introducing unwanted elements.

    "The water supply was tested for any harmful contaminants."
  2. 2

    An agent that causes contamination, especially in environmental contexts.

    "Industrial waste can be a significant contaminant in local ecosystems."

Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum

Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

The word 'contaminant' originates from the Latin 'contaminare', meaning 'to make unclean'. It evolved through Middle French before entering English in the late 19th century, reflecting growing concerns about pollution and environmental health.

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