Impure
/ɪmˈpjʊr/noun
Not pure; contaminated, mixed with something undesirable, or morally unclean.
Did you know?Impure comes from Latin in- meaning “not” plus purus meaning “clean, pure,” so the word is basically a built-in refusal of purity rather than a mystical term.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*peh₂-
“to clean, to purify”
Latin
Latin
purus
“clean, pure, unadulterated”
Late Latin
Latin
impurus
“unclean, filthy, morally foul”
Old French
Old French
impur
“impure, unclean”
Middle English
English
impure
“not pure, foul, contaminated”
Modern English
English
impure
“not pure; contaminated or morally unclean”