Pollution Definition

pə-lo͝oshən

noun

The act or process of polluting or the state of being polluted, especially the contamination of soil, water, or the atmosphere by the discharge of harmful substances.

American Heritage Medicine

Something that pollutes; a pollutant or a group of pollutants.

Pollution in the air reduced the visibility near the airport.

American Heritage Medicine

The act of polluting or the state of being polluted, especially the contamination of the environment by harmful substances.

Nobody visits the river any more because of all the pollution.

Wiktionary

(archaic) Physical defilement.

Wiktionary

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

Other Word Forms of Pollution

Noun

Singular:

pollution

Plural:

pollutions

Origin of Pollution

Recorded since c.1340, as "discharge of semen other than during sex," later, "desecration, defilement" (1382), from Late Latin pollutio "defilement," from Latin polluere "to soil, defile, contaminate", itself from por- "before" + -luere "to smear" (related to lutum "mud" and to lues "filth", compare Greek (lyma) "filth, dirt, disgrace" and (lymax) "rubbish, refuse," Old Irish loth "mud, dirt," Lithuanian lutynas "pool, puddle"). Meaning "make physically foul" is from 1540s. Sense of "contamination of the environment" first recorded c.1860, but not common until c.1955

From Wiktionary