Word Study
impure
CIDE DICTIONARY
impure, a. [L. impurus; pref. im- not + purus pure: cf. F. impur. See Pure.].
- Not pure; not clean; dirty; foul; filthy; containing something which is unclean or unwholesome; mixed or impregnated extraneous substances; adulterated; as, impure water or air; impure drugs, food, etc. [1913 Webster]
- Defiled by sin or guilt; unholy; unhallowed; -- said of persons or things. [1913 Webster]
- Unchaste; lewd; unclean; obscene; as, impure language or ideas. Cowper. [1913 Webster]
- Not purified according to the ceremonial law of Moses; unclean. [1913 Webster]
- Not accurate; not idiomatic; as, impure Latin; an impure style. [1913 Webster]
impure, v. t.
To defile; to pollute. Bp. Hall. [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
impure, adj.
1 mixed with foreign matter; adulterated.
2 dirty.
3 unchaste.
4 (of a colour) mixed with another colour.
1 mixed with foreign matter; adulterated.
2 dirty.
3 unchaste.
4 (of a colour) mixed with another colour.
Derivative
impurely adv. impureness n.
Etymology
ME f. L impurus (as IN-(1), purus pure)
THESAURUS
impure
Adamic, Doric, Fescennine, Rabelaisian, adulterated, alloyed, backsliding, barbaric, barbarous, bawdy, belowstairs, besmirched, black, blemished, blue, cacophonous, carnal, clumsy, coarse, common, contaminated, corrupted, crude, damaged, debased, defective, deficient, defiled, degenerate, depraved, dirty, dissolute, doggerel, dysphemistic, erring, erroneous, evil, fallen, fallible, faulty, feculent, filthy, fleshly, forbidden, foul, foul-mouthed, foul-spoken, foul-tongued, found wanting, frail, fulsome, graceless, gross, grubby, harsh, immature, immodest, immoral, impaired, imperfect, imprecise, improper, in bad taste, inaccurate, inadequate, incomplete, inconcinnate, inconcinnous, incorrect, indecent, indecorous, inelegant, inexact, infected, infelicitous, infirm, ithyphallic, lacking, lapsed, lascivious, lecherous, lewd, libidinous, licentious, loose, low, lubricious, lubricous, lurid, lustful, maculate, makeshift, mediocre, mixed, nasty, native, nonkosher, not perfect, obscene, of easy virtue, off, offensive, outlandish, partial, patchy, peccable, polluted, pornographic, postlapsarian, prodigal, promiscuous, prurient, putrescent, putrid, raunchy, raw, recidivist, recidivistic, ribald, ritually unclean, rotten, rude, run-of-mine, salacious, scarlet, scummy, scurrile, scurrilous, sensual, short, sinful, sketchy, smirched, smoking-room, smutty, soiled, soily, squalid, sullied, sultry, tainted, tasteless, tref, unangelic, unbathed, unchaste, unclean, uncleanly, uncourtly, uncouth, undeveloped, undignified, uneuphonious, uneven, unfelicitous, unfinished, ungodly, ungood, ungraceful, ungraded, unhallowed, unholy, unperfected, unpolished, unprintable, unpure, unrefined, unrepeatable, unrighteous, unsaintly, unscoured, unscrubbed, unseemly, unsorted, unsound, unswept, unthorough, unvirginal, unvirtuous, unwashed, unwiped, vile, virtueless, vitiated, vulgar, wanting, wanton, wayward, weak, wickedROGET THESAURUS
impure
Uncleanness
N uncleanness, impurity, immundity, immundicity, impurity, defilement, contamination, defoedation, soilure, soiliness, abomination, leaven, taint, tainture, fetor, decay, putrescence, putrefaction, corruption, mold, must, mildew, dry rot, mucor, rubigo, slovenry, slovenliness, squalor, dowdy, drab, slut, malkin, slattern, sloven, slammerkin, slammock, slummock, scrub, draggle-tail, mudlark, dust-man, sweep, beast, dirt, filth, soil, slop, dust, cobweb, flue, smoke, soot, smudge, smut, grit, grime, raff, sossle, sozzle, sordes, dregs, grounds, lees, argol, sediment, settlement heeltap, dross, drossiness, mother, precipitate, scoriae, ashes, cinders, recrement, slag, scum, froth, hogwash, ditchwater, dishwater, bilgewater, rinsings, cheeseparings, sweepings, offscourings, outscourings, off scum, caput mortuum, residuum, sprue, fecula, clinker, draff, scurf, scurfiness, exuviae, morphea, fur, furfur, dandruff, tartar, riffraff, vermin, louse, flea, bug, chinch, mud, mire, quagmire, alluvium, silt, sludge, slime, slush, slosh, sposh, spawn, offal, gurry, lientery, garbage, carrion, excreta, slough, peccant humor, pus, matter, suppuration, lienteria, faeces, feces, excrement, ordure, dung, crap, shit, sewage, sewerage, muck, coprolite, guano, manure, compost, dunghill, colluvies, mixen, midden, bog, laystall, sink, privy, jakes, toilet, john, head, cess, cesspool, sump, sough, cloaca, latrines, drain, sewer, common sewer, Cloacina, dust hole, sty, pigsty, lair, den, Augean stable, sink of corruption, slum, rookery, dirty, filthy, grimy, unclean, impure, soiled, not to be handled with kid gloves, dusty, snuffy, smutty, sooty, smoky, thick, turbid, dreggy, slimy, mussy, slovenly, untidy, messy, uncleanly, unkempt, sluttish, dowdy, draggle-tailed, uncombed, unscoured, unswept, unwiped, unwashed, unstrained, unpurified, squalid, lutose, slammocky, slummocky, sozzly, nasty, coarse, foul, offensive, abominable, beastly, reeky, reechy, fetid, decayed, moldy, musty, mildewed, rusty, moth-eaten, mucid, rancid, weak, bad, gone bad, etercoral, lentiginous, touched, fusty, effete, reasty, rotten, corrupt, tainted, high, flyblown, maggoty, putrid, putrefactive, putrescent, putrefied, saprogenic, saprogenous, purulent, carious, peccant, fecal, feculent, stercoraceous, excrementitious, scurfy, scurvy, impetiginous, gory, bloody, rotting, rotten as a pear, rotten as cheese, crapulous, gross, fimetarious, fimicolous, they that touch pitch will be defiled.Impurity
N impurity, uncleanness, immodesty, grossness, indelicacy, indecency, impudicity, obscenity, ribaldry, Fescennine, smut, bawdry, double entente, equivoque, concupiscence, lust, carnality, flesh, salacity, pruriency, lechery, lasciviency, lubricity, Sadism, sapphism, incontinence, intrigue, faux pas, amour, amourette, gallantry, debauchery, libertinish, libertinage, fornication, liaison, wenching, venery, dissipation, seduction, defloration, defilement, abuse, violation, rape, incest, prostitution, social evil, harlotry, stupration, whoredom, concubinage, cuckoldom, adultery, advoutry, crim, con, free love, seraglio, harem, brothel, bagnio, stew, bawdyhouse, cat house, lupanar, house of ill fame, bordel, bordello, impure, unclean, not to be mentioned to ears polite, immodest, shameless, indecorous, indelicate, indecent, Fescennine, loose, risque, coarse, gross, broad, free, equivocal, smutty, fulsome, ribald, obscene, bawdy, pornographic, concupiscent, prurient, lickerish, rampant, lustful, carnal, carnal-minded, lewd, lascivious, lecherous, libidinous, erotic, ruttish, salacious, Paphian, voluptuous, goatish, must, musty, unchaste, light, wanton, licentious, debauched, dissolute, of loose character, of easy virtue, frail, gay, riggish, incontinent, meretricious, rakish, gallant, dissipated, no better than she should be, on the town, on the streets, on the pave, on the loose, adulterous, incestuous, bestial.For further exploring for "impure" in Webster Dictionary Online