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 — 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
