impurity

noun

Etymology: From impure + -ity. From Middle French impurité, from Latin impuritas.

1. The condition of being impure; because of contamination, pollution, adulteration or insufficient purification.

   “Even animals in the Jewish system cause impurity only when they are dead.”

2. A component or additive that renders something else impure.

   “The impurities in the iron ore made extraction of the iron very difficult.”

   “An artificial kidney these days still means a refrigerator-sized dialysis machine. Such devices mimic the way real kidneys cleanse blood and eject impurities and surplus water as urine.”

3. A state of immorality or sin; especially the weakness of the flesh: inchastity.

   “With his cheating, lying and stealing, he epitomised the impurity of humanity.”