impurity
NounWordNet 3.0
Noun (2)
- worthless or dangerous material that should be removed“there were impurities in the water”Synonyms: dross
- the condition of being impureSynonyms: impureness
Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)
Impurity \Im*pu"ri*ty\, n.; pl. Impurities . [L. impuritas: cf. F. impuret['e].] [1913 Webster]
1.The condition or quality of being impure in any sense; defilement; foulness; adulteration. [1913 Webster]
Profaneness, impurity, or scandal, is not wit.— Buckminster.[1913 Webster]
2.That which is, or which renders anything, impure; foul matter, action, language, etc.; a foreign ingredient. [1913 Webster]
Foul impurities reigned among the monkish clergy.— Atterbury.[1913 Webster]
3.(Script.) Lack of ceremonial purity; defilement. [1913 Webster]