What does pure mean?
Pure describes something that is uncontaminated, unmixed, genuine, absolute, or morally faultless. Its basic sense refers to a substance containing nothing besides the material named: pure water, for example, is free from impurities and other substances. From this foundation, the word extends to ideas and conduct. Pure mathematics studies abstract structures without necessarily connecting them directly to physical reality, while pure science is distinguished from applied science. A person’s motives may be called pure when they are honest and not driven by selfish or deceitful purposes. In colloquial expressions such as “pure chaos,” “pure luck,” or “pure nonsense,” the word intensifies a noun, often suggesting that the quality described is absolute or, in the case of “nonsense,” entirely worthless. As a noun, “pure” is mainly literary: “the pure” can mean morally faultless people or an abstract ideal considered apart from practical complications. As a verb, it means to make something pure, though “purify” is more usual in modern English.
Free from impurities, contamination, or foreign substances; unmixed, genuine, absolute, or morally faultless.
"They sought a pure and uncontaminated sample for analysis."
The meaning varies with context, from physical purity to moral innocence or absolute genuineness.
An unadulterated substance, or people or an ideal regarded as morally faultless.
"The poet imagined a world inhabited only by the pure."
This sense is chiefly literary.
To make something free from impurities or contamination; purify.
"The process is designed to pure the water before it enters the reservoir."
This form is less common in everyday English than the adjective “pure” or the verb “purify.”
Merely, solely, or in a pure or unmixed state.
"The ceremony was pure ritual, with no practical purpose."
This use is mainly literary or formal; “purely” is more common in modern usage.
The plural is rare and is chiefly literary or historical, especially in senses referring to morally faultless people.
"The novel contrasts the innocence of children with the corruption of society."
From the Latin purus, meaning clean or unadulterated, pure grew into a word that can describe water, mathematics, motives, and even a person regarded as morally faultless.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does pure come from?
The word comes from Latin purus, meaning “clean,” “free from impurities,” and, figuratively, “innocent” or “without guile.” It entered Middle English in forms reflecting both its Latin ancestry and the influence of Old French. The same root developed into English words including purity, purify, and purification, while related forms appear in several other European languages.
Related word forms
How pure is actually used
The adjective is common in both formal and informal contexts. In expressions such as “pure nonsense” or “pure luck,” it can intensify a noun and convey that the thing mentioned is complete, absolute, or worthless. As a noun, “the pure” is chiefly literary and can refer to an ideal or morally faultless people. As a verb, “pure” is less common than “purify” and is somewhat literary. As an adverb, it is now mainly literary or formal and is often interchangeable with “purely.”
Easily confused with pure
Pure means unmixed or uncontaminated, whereas pour means to make a liquid flow from a container.
Pure describes something uncontaminated or genuine, whereas a pore is a tiny opening in a surface.