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Added 6 October 2026

adulterate

/əˈdʌltəɹət/ adjective

Latin root: adulterātus Wiktionary

adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about adulterate at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Corrupted or made impure by being mixed with something else; adulterated. .mw-parser-output .defdate{font-size:smaller}
Tending to commit adultery; relating to or being the product of adultery; adulterous.

verb

To corrupt, to debase (someone or something).
To make less valuable or spoil (something) by adding impurities or other substances.
to adulterate coins, drugs, food and drink, etc.
To commit adultery with (someone).

Origin

From Latin adulterātus (“adulterate, adulterated, defiled, polluted, counterfeited”), perfect passive participle of adulterō (“to adulterate, defile, commit adultery (with), counterfeit”) (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from ad- (“to, in the direction of”) + alter (“other”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix), literally “to go after someone else”. Equivalent to adultery + -ate.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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