pure

(pyoor)

If something is pure, it’s unchanged from its source. It’s 100 percent of the original thing.

• Zayne’s necklace is made of pure gold.
• Two feet below the surface of the yard is pure sand.
• How pure is the olive oil in this bottle?
• This orange juice is 100 percent pure. No sugar was added to it.

The word "pure" is also used to say that something is clean.

• Don’t drink that water. It’s not pure.
• David’s heart is pure. (He’s a good person.)
• Samantha is interested in doing pure research. (The results of the research may not be applied to an ulterior purpose.)

The word "purely" is an adverb.

• She’s purely interested in doing research. (She only interested in research, not using the research for some other purpose.)
• The man’s purely good intentions were evident in his work.
• She has a purely good reason for doing what she did. (purely = very; obviously)

The word "purity" is a noun.

• The water purity in this area is very good. (The water is clean.)
• The diamond was rejected because of some impurities in its surface. (The word "impurity" is the opposite of "purity.")

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Date of publication: September 23, 2016