pollution
n. uncountablen. harmful things like trash, smoke, or chemicals that make the air, water, or land dirty and unsafe.
n. the introduction of harmful or poisonous substances into an environment. Often used to describe the contamination of air, water, or soil by human activity.
Air pollution is a big problem in many large cities.
The local government introduced new laws to stop factories from dumping chemical pollution into the river.
While visible litter is a concern, the most dangerous forms of pollution are often microscopic particles that enter the bloodstream through the lungs.
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”).
Primarily uncountable; however, it can be used as a countable noun when referring to specific types or instances of contamination.