polluted
UK: pəˈluːtɪd | US: pəˈluːtɪd
adj. contaminated with harmful or poisonous substances
vt. (past tense of pollute) made impure or unclean
polluted = pollut<defile> + ed<past participle suffix>
- pollut (from Latin polluere "to defile, contaminate")
- Original meaning: "to soil, make dirty" (physical or moral sense).
- Modern sense: environmental contamination.
- ed (Old English -ed, past participle marker)
- Indicates completed action or state.
Etymology Origin:
The word traces back to Latin polluere ("to soil, defile"), combining pol- (intensive prefix) + -luere (related to lues "filth"). Initially used for physical/moral corruption, it shifted focus to environmental harm during industrialization (19th century). The suffix -ed marks its verbal/adjectival role in English.
The river became polluted after years of industrial waste dumping.
Air quality worsened due to polluted emissions from vehicles.
Protesters demanded action to clean up the polluted beaches.
The study revealed how polluted water affects marine life.
His reputation was polluted by false accusations.