Definition of adulterate

acrimonious Definition: (adjective) biting, harsh, caustic. Petersons.com

Add Word of the Day to your personalized My Yahoo! page: About My Yahoo! and RSS »

Email this page to a friend

< adulterant

adulterer >

a·dul·ter·ate    (-dlt-rt) KEY  

TRANSITIVE VERB:
a·dul·ter·at·ed , a·dul·ter·at·ing , a·dul·ter·ates

To make impure by adding extraneous, improper, or inferior ingredients.

ADJECTIVE:
(-tr-t)

1. Spurious; adulterated.
2. Adulterous.

---

ETYMOLOGY:
Latin adulterre , adultert-, to pollute; see al- ¹ in Indo-European roots

OTHER FORMS:
a·dulter·ation (Noun), a·dulter·ator (Noun)

SYNONYMS:
adulterate , debase , doctor , load

These verbs mean to make impure or inferior by adding foreign substances to something: adulterate coffee with ground acorns; silver debased with copper; doctored the wine with water; rag paper loaded with wood fiber.

Visit our partner's site

	Provided by Houghton Mifflin eReference -- Download this interactive reference software to your desktop computer

Search Dictionary:

More on Yahoo! Education

• Online and On-Campus Degree Programs     MBAs  -  Technology Management  -  Education  -  Health  -  More  • College & Grad School - A Comprehensive Guide     College Search  -  Test Prep  -  Application Tips  -  Scholarship Search