contaminazione
/kon.ta.mi.natˈt͡sjo.ne/
The English word 'contamination' is translated into Italian as contaminazione.
contaminazione refers to the act or process of contaminating. While it is a formal term used in scientific or technical contexts, you should note certain distinctions in Italian: inquinamento generally refers to pollution or environmental contamination (often expressed as inquinamento ambientale), while infestazione is a formal term used for contamination caused by pests or invasive species. You can also use the phrase contaminazione chimica to mean chemical contamination.
Meaning: the act or process of contaminating (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of contaminazione is contaminazioni. The related verb form meaning 'to contaminate' is contaminare.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /kon.ta.mi.natˈtsjo.ne/. It consists of 6 syllables, with the stress on the 5th syllable.
Did you know?
- In the world of music and art, contaminazione is often used as a positive term to describe the creative blending of different genres or styles.
- In Italian linguistics, contaminazione refers to a specific type of error where two similar words are accidentally merged into one new, incorrect word.
- The verb contaminare can also be used metaphorically in Italian to describe a person's reputation being 'spoiled' or 'tainted' by a scandal.
Examples in context
- L'inquinamento ambientale è un problema serioEnvironmental contamination is a serious problem
- La contaminazione dell'acqua è un problema serio.The contamination of the water is a serious problem.
- Dobbiamo evitare ogni contaminazione nei campioni di laboratorio.We must avoid any contamination in the laboratory samples.
- C'è stata una contaminazione accidentale del cibo.There was an accidental contamination of the food.
Example conversation
Chiara and Francesco are discussing a scientific report at a university.
- ChiaraFrancesco, hai letto il rapporto sulla contaminazione?Francesco, did you read the report on the contamination?
- FrancescoSì, Chiara, è molto preoccupante.Yes, Chiara, it is very worrying.
- ChiaraLa contaminazione è avvenuta durante il trasporto.The contamination occurred during transport.
- FrancescoDobbiamo controllare subito i nuovi campioni.We must check the new samples immediately.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “contamination” translations and entries contaminazione, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
