To make something dirty or contaminated with harmful substances like chemicals, waste, or other impurities.
From Latin 'polluere' meaning 'to soil or defile.' The word entered English in the 16th century, originally with moral/spiritual meanings before becoming primarily environmental.
Interestingly, the word 'pollute' originally meant spiritual or moral contamination in religious contexts—only later did it become specifically about environmental pollution, showing how our concerns shift over time!
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