noun
impurity
ihm-PYIH-tee
noun
1
A substance mixed into something that makes it less pure or of lower quality.
"The gold had to be refined to remove trace impurities."
2
The state or quality of being impure, whether physically or morally.
"Filtering removes impurity from the drinking water."
How to Use Impurity
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishEither the unwanted stuff mixed into something, or the general state of not being pure.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
trace impurities
remove impurities
skin impurities
Word Forms
impurities plural
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Filtering removes _____ from the drinking water.
Etymology
From impure plus the noun-forming suffix -ity, ultimately from Latin impuritas.