pure Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. adjective free of extraneous elements of any kind
    • pure air and water
    • pure gold
    • pure primary colors
    • the violin's pure and lovely song
    • pure tones
    • pure oxygen
  2. adjective satellite without qualification; used informally as (often pejorative) intensifiers
    perfect; double-dyed; complete; gross; arrant; unadulterated; sodding; stark; consummate; utter; thoroughgoing; everlasting; staring.
    • an arrant fool
    • a complete coward
    • a consummate fool
    • a double-dyed villain
    • gross negligence
    • a perfect idiot
    • pure folly
    • what a sodding mess
    • stark staring mad
    • a thoroughgoing villain
    • utter nonsense
    • the unadulterated truth
  3. adjective (of color) being chromatically pure; not diluted with white or grey or black
    saturated.
  4. adjective satellite free from discordant qualities
  5. adjective satellite concerned with theory and data rather than practice; opposed to applied
    • pure science
  6. adjective (used of persons or behaviors) having no faults; sinless
    • I felt pure and sweet as a new baby"- Sylvia Plath
    • pure as the driven snow
  7. adjective satellite in a state of sexual virginity
    virginal; virgin; vestal; virtuous.
    • pure and vestal modesty
    • a spinster or virgin lady
    • men have decreed that their women must be pure and virginal

WordNet

`pure" noun
Etymology
F.
Definitions
  1. (Fine Arts) A draught or model from which to build; especially, one of the full size of the work to be done; a detailed drawing.
Pure adjective
Etymology
OE. pur, F. pur, fr. L. purus; akin to putus pure, clear, putare to clean, trim, prune, set in order, settle, reckon, consider, think, Skr. p to clean, and perh. E. fire. Cf. Putative.
Wordforms
comparative Purer ; superlative Purest
Definitions
  1. Separate from all heterogeneous or extraneous matter; free from mixture or combination; clean; mere; simple; unmixed; as, pure water; pure clay; pure air; pure compassion.
    The pure fetters on his shins great. Chaucer.
    A guinea is pure gold if it has in it no alloy. I. Watts.
  2. Free from moral defilement or quilt; hence, innocent; guileless; chaste; -- applied to persons. "Keep thyself pure." 1 Tim. v. 22.
    Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience. 1 Tim. i. 5.
  3. Free from that which harms, vitiates, weakens, or pollutes; genuine; real; perfect; -- applied to things and actions. "Pure religion and impartial laws." Tickell. "The pure, fine talk of Rome." Ascham.
    Such was the origin of a friendship as warm and pure as any that ancient or modern history records. Macaulay.
  4. (Script.) Ritually clean; fitted for holy services.
    Thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before the Lord. Lev. xxiv. 6.
  5. (Phonetics) Of a single, simple sound or tone; -- said of some vowels and the unaspirated consonants. Syn. -- Unmixed; clear; simple; real; true; genuine; unadulterated; uncorrupted; unsullied; untarnished; unstained; stainless; clean; fair; unspotted; spotless; incorrupt; chaste; unpolluted; undefiled; immaculate; innocent; guiltless; guileless; holy.

Webster 1913