Definition of POLLUTION

pollution

Plural: pollutions

Noun

  • undesirable state of the natural environment being contaminated with harmful substances as a consequence of human activities
  • the state of being polluted
  • the act of contaminating or polluting; including (either intentionally or accidentally) unwanted substances or factors
  • Physical contamination, now especially the contamination of the environment by harmful substances, or by disruptive levels of noise, light etc.
  • Something that pollutes; a pollutant.
  • The desecration of something holy or sacred; defilement, profanation.
  • The ejaculation of semen outside of sexual intercourse, especially a nocturnal emission.
  • Moral or spiritual corruption; impurity, degradation, defilement.

Examples

  • Pollution levels are almost always higher in cities rather than the countryside, what with the cars, industry and so on.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English pollucioun, pollucion (“desecration, impurity”), from Anglo-Norman pollutiun, Middle French pollution, pollucion, and their source, post-classical Latin pollūtiō (“defilement, desecration; nocturnal emission”) (4th century), from the participial stem of polluō (“to soil, defile, contaminate”), from por- (“before”) + -luō (“to smear”), related to lutum (“mud”) and luēs (“filth”). Compare Ancient Greek λῦμα (lûma, “filth, dirt, disgrace”) and λῦμαξ (lûmax, “rubbish, refuse”), Old Irish loth (“mud, dirt”), Lithuanian lutynas (“pool, puddle”).

Scrabble Score: 11

pollution: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
pollution: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
pollution: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 16

pollution: valid Words With Friends Word