Purity
/ˈpjʊə.rɪ.ti/noun
The state of being pure; freedom from contamination, impurity, or moral taint.
Did you know?Purity comes through Latin *purus* (“clean, clear, unadulterated”), a root that also gave English *pure*, *purgatory*, and *purge*—words that all orbit the idea of cleansing by force.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pewh₂-
“to cleanse, purify”
Latin
Latin
purus
“clean, clear, unmixed”
Late Latin
Latin
puritas
“cleanliness, purity, freedom from stain”
Old French
Old French
pureté
“purity, cleanness”
Middle English
English
purite
“purity, moral or physical cleanness”
Modern English
English
purity
“the state of being pure”