pollution

== English == === Etymology === From Middle English pollucioun, pollucion (“desecration, impurity”), from Anglo-Norman pollutiun, Middle French pollution, pollucion, and their source, post-classical Latin pollūtiō (“defilement, desecration; nocturnal emission”) (4th century), from the participial stem of polluō (“to soil, defile, contaminate”), from por- (“before”) + -luō (“to smear”), related to lutum (“mud”) and luēs (“filth”). Compare Ancient Greek λῦμα (lûma, “filth, dirt, disgrace”) and λῦμαξ (lûmax, “rubbish, refuse”), Old Irish loth (“mud, dirt”), Lithuanian lutynas (“pool, puddle”). === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /pəˈljuːʃən/, /pəˈluːʃən/ (US) IPA(key): /pəˈluʃən/ Rhymes: -uːʃən === Noun === pollution (usually uncountable, plural pollutions) Physical contamination, now especially the contamination of the environment by harmful substances, or by disruptive levels of noise, light etc. [from 18th c.] Synonyms: defedation, defilement, soilage; see also Thesaurus:contamination Antonym: conservation Something that pollutes; a pollutant. [from 17th c.] Synonyms: adulterant, contaminant, contamination, impurity, sophisticant; see also Thesaurus:contaminant (now rare) The desecration of something holy or sacred; defilement, profanation. [from 14th c.] Synonyms: debasement, debauchment, perversion; see also Thesaurus:corruption Antonym: purity (now archaic) The ejaculation of semen outside of sexual intercourse, especially a nocturnal emission. [from 14th c.] Hyponyms: self-pollution, nocturnal emission, coitus interruptus; see also Thesaurus:ejaculation Moral or spiritual corruption; impurity, degradation, defilement. [from 15th c.] Synonyms: baseness, perversion; see also Thesaurus:iniquity ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== polluter ==== Translations ==== == French == === Etymology === Learned borrowing from Latin pollūtiō. By surface analysis, polluer +‎ -tion. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /pɔ.ly.sjɔ̃/ === Noun === pollution f (plural pollutions) pollution Synonyms: profanation, souillure pollution nocturne ― wet dream (literally, “nocturnal pollution”) ==== Derived terms ==== pollution lumineuse pollution sonore ==== Related terms ==== polluant pollutif === Further reading === “pollution”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012