pollutant
noun
- substance or energy source damaging to the environment
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /pəˈl(j)uːtənt/
noun
Etymology: Etymology tree English pollute Proto-Indo-European *-onts Latin -ns Latin -āns Old French -antbor. Proto-Indo-European *-onts Proto-Germanic *-ndz Proto-West Germanic *-andī Old English -ende Middle English -ant English -ant English pollutant From pollute + -ant.
- A foreign substance that makes something dirty, or impure, especially waste from human activities.
“Acid rain forms when water in the atmosphere condenses on particles containing acid-forming pollutants, such as sulfate produced by the burning of fossil fuels and nitrogen oxides from automobile exhausts.”