Contaminator

/kənˈtæmɪneɪtər/ noun

Definition

A person or thing that contaminates; something that introduces unwanted substances or makes something unclean.

Etymology

From contaminate + -or/-er (suffix forming agent nouns, from Latin -or, meaning one who does the action). The pattern is: verb → agent noun, so contaminate becomes contaminator.

Kelly Says

In crime scenes, investigators look for the 'contaminator'—the person whose DNA or evidence they find—but every investigator walking through the scene also becomes a contaminator, which is why crime labs are so obsessively careful.

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.