French Conversation · Level 91
60 words
French word
contaminer
Pronunciation
IPA/kɔ̃tamine/
Meaning
- verbcontaminate
Example
L'usine contamine la rivière.
The factory contaminates the river.
More examples
Une viande mal cuite peut contaminer les consommateurs.
Undercooked meat can contaminate consumers.
Core concept
A clean medium receiving something unwanted that compromises its original quality or reliability.
Common phrases
contaminer un aliment
contaminate a food item
contaminer l'air
contaminate the air
Similar words
infecter: To introduce a pathogen that causes infection or disease in a person, animal, or plant.
polluer: To harm the environment or a material with harmful substances.
souiller: To make something unclean by covering or marking it with dirt.
altérer: To change the quality or nature of something and damage its original characteristics.
Definition in French
Altérer la qualité ou l'intégrité d'un milieu, d'une substance ou d'une information en y introduisant des éléments nuisibles.
Word origin
The French verb contaminer developed from Latin contaminare through Old French, with its sense of mixing in something that spoils or defiles.
Usage tips
- Contaminer applies to information and reputations as well as physical substances, so context determines whether the harm is literal or figurative.
Other meanings
- infectverb
- polluteverb
Opposites
- décontaminerdecontaminateverb
- purifierpurifyverb
Related words
- contaminationcontaminationnoun
- contaminantcontaminantnoun
- contaminablesusceptible to contaminationadjective