Pure

How to spell pure

4 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce pure

What does pure mean?

1. adjectiveFree from any contaminating, mixing, or weakening element; unadulterated.

Pure in a sentence

• The necklace is made of pure gold with no other metals added.

• The spring water was so pure that it needed no filtering.

Where does pure come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word comes from the Latin purus, which meant 'clean', 'clear' or 'unmixed', and was used of water, air and even of moral character. It passed into Old French as 'pur' before crossing the Channel into English in the 1200s, carrying the sense of something free from contamination or foreign matter. Over the centuries the meaning broadened from physical cleanness to abstract notions of innocence, theoretical study (as in 'pure mathematics'), and sheer intensity ('pure joy'). The same purus root underlies a whole family of relatives, including 'purify', 'purge', 'purity' and even 'expurgate'. The spelling is straightforward, but the unusual 'u' sound and the silent final 'e' are the only points worth noting.

How the word is built

• pur (from Latin purus: clean, unmixed)
• silent -e