- pronunciation:
- p
lu
shn
- features:
- Word History, Word Explorer
| part of speech: |
noun |
| definition 1: |
Dirty material in air, water, or soil is called pollution. When there is pollution, water may not be healthy to drink or to swim in. Air may be bad to breathe. People may not be able to use the soil for growing things.
The beach was closed because there was too much pollution in the water.We could see the pollution in the air over the city.
|
| definition 2: |
Pollution is the act or process of adding things to something, like air or water, that make it dirty or not healthy.
The company paid a fine for its pollution of the soil near the factory. |
| related words: |
waste |
Pollution comes from a Latin word that means "to make filthy." The Latin word for mud is
lutum.