- decontaminate
- transitive verb Date: 1936 to rid of contamination (as radioactive material) • decontamination noun • decontaminator noun
New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
decontaminate
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decontaminate — de con*tam i*nate (d[ e] k[u^]n*t[a^]m [i^]*n[=a]t), v. t. To remove contamination or contaminants from, by a cleansing process; usually used of radioactive, infectious, or toxic materials; as, to decontaminate clothing worn by persons with… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
decontaminate — verb absterge, antisepticize, clean, cleanse, depurate, deterge, disinfect, fumigate, hygienize, lustrate, make aseptic, make disease free, make germ free, make healthful, make hygienic, make innoxious, make pure, make salubrious, make wholesome … Law dictionary
decontaminate — 1936, from DE (Cf. de ) + CONTAMINATE (Cf. contaminate). Originally in reference to poison gas. Related: Decontaminated; decontaminating … Etymology dictionary
decontaminate — [v] clean antiseptize, cleanse, disinfect, fumigate, make sterile, purify, sanitize, sterilize, wash; concepts 161,165 … New thesaurus
decontaminate — ► VERB ▪ remove dangerous substances from. DERIVATIVES decontamination noun … English terms dictionary
decontaminate — [dē΄kəntam′ə nāt΄] vt. decontaminated, decontaminating to rid of a polluting or harmful substance, as poison gas, radioactive products, etc. decontamination n … English World dictionary
decontaminate — UK [ˌdiːkənˈtæmɪˌneɪt] / US [ˌdɪkənˈtæmɪˌneɪt] verb [transitive] Word forms decontaminate : present tense I/you/we/they decontaminate he/she/it decontaminates present participle decontaminating past tense decontaminated past participle… … English dictionary
decontaminate — decontamination, n. decontaminative, adj. decontaminator, n. /dee keuhn tam euh nayt /, v.t., decontaminated, decontaminating. 1. to make (an object or area) safe for unprotected personnel by removing, neutralizing, or destroying any harmful… … Universalium
decontaminate — de|con|tam|i|nate [ˌdi:kənˈtæmıneıt] v [T] to remove a dangerous substance from somewhere →↑contamination ▪ It may cost over $5 million to decontaminate the whole site. >decontamination [ˌdi:kəntæmıˈneıʃən] n [U] … Dictionary of contemporary English
decontaminate — [[t]di͟ːkəntæ̱mɪneɪt[/t]] decontaminates, decontaminating, decontaminated VERB To decontaminate something means to remove all germs or dangerous substances from it. [V n] ...procedures for decontaminating pilots hit by chemical weapons. Derived… … English dictionary
decontaminate — verb (T) to remove a dangerous substance from somewhere: It may cost over $5 million to decontaminate the whole site. decontamination noun (U) … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
