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contaminant

UK/kənˈtamɪnənt/US/kənˈtamɪnənt/
nounC1Rare in speech; mostly a word you read · #14,370 of 15,258leans written

Other forms: contaminants

A contaminant is something present that should not be there. Trace contaminants, remove the contaminant, a chemical contaminant.

The definition is about place rather than danger: a perfectly harmless substance in the wrong place is a contaminant, and the amount decides whether it matters. Modern instruments detect at parts per trillion, which is why finding one is not the same as finding a problem.

Definitions of contaminant

  1. 1nouncontaminantSomething present that should not be there.C1

    “The water is filtered to remove any contaminants before it reaches your tap.”

contaminant is an impurity.

Where it comes from

Latin contaminare means to defile or mingle, from a root meaning to touch.

  1. French

    contaminant

  2. English, today

    contaminant

Built from

  • contaminer · French — to contaminate

Borrowed from French contaminant, present participle of contaminer (“to contaminate”), from Latin contamino. by surface analysis, contaminate + -ant.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in Chemistry & Elements

Practise this word

contaminant in the wild

  • Such contamination presents a hazard because the radioactive decay of the contaminants produces ionizing radiation (namely alpha, beta, gamma rays and free neutrons).

    Radioactive contamination

  • Maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) are standards that are set by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for drinking water quality.

    Maximum contaminant level

  • A food contaminant is a harmful chemical or microorganism present in food, which can cause illness to the consumer.

    Food contaminant

  • The impact of chemical contaminants on consumer health and well-being is often apparent only after many years of processing and prolonged exposure at low levels (e.g., cancer).

    Food contaminant

  • The Contaminant Candidate List is published every five years, and EPA is required to decide whether to regulate at least five or more listed contaminants.

    Drinking water quality in the United States

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.