Etymology
From Middle English pollucion, from Anglo-Norman pollutiun, Middle French pollution, pollucion, and their source, post-classical Latin pollūtiŠ(defilement, desecration) (fourth century), from the participial stem of polluŠ(to soil, defile, contaminate), from por- (before) + -luŠ(to smear), related to lutum (mud) and luēs (filth). Compare Ancient Greek λῦμα or lûma (filth, dirt, disgrace) and λῦμαξ or lûmax (rubbish, refuse), Old Irish loth (mud, dirt), Lithuanian lutynas (pool, puddle).
Noun
pollution (countable and uncountable, plural pollutions)
- 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.
- Moral or spiritual corruption; impurity, degradation, defilement.
Derived terms
- air pollution
- light pollution
- noise pollution
- overpollution
Related terms
- pollute
- polluter
Credits
New World Encyclopedia writers and editors copied and adjusted this Wiktionary entry in accordance with NWE standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit for this article is due to both New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions at Wiktionary is accessible to researchers here:
