pure: Meaning and Definition of

pure

Pronunciation: (pyoor), [key]
— pur•er, pur•est.
  1. free from anything of a different, inferior, or contaminating kind; free from extraneous matter: pure gold; pure water.
  2. unmodified by an admixture; simple or homogeneous.
  3. of unmixed descent or ancestry: a pure breed of dog.
  4. free from foreign or inappropriate elements: pure Attic Greek.
  5. clear; free from blemishes: pure skin.
  6. (of literary style) straightforward; unaffected.
  7. abstract or theoretical (opposed to applied): pure science.
  8. without any discordant quality; clear and true: pure tones in music.
  9. absolute; utter; sheer: to sing for pure joy.
  10. being that and nothing else; mere: a pure accident.
  11. clean, spotless, or unsullied: pure hands.
  12. untainted with evil; innocent: pure in heart.
  13. physically chaste; virgin.
  14. ceremonially or ritually clean.
  15. free of or without guilt; guiltless.
  16. independent of sense or experience: pure knowledge.
    1. homozygous.
    2. containing only one characteristic for a trait.
  17. monophthongal.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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