Adulteration, n.
Etymology: [L. adulteratio.]
1. The act of adulterating; corruption, or debasement (esp. of food or drink) by foreign mixture. The shameless adulteration of the coin. Prescott.
2. An adulterated state or product.
Shades of meaning
Fernald has no entry of its own for adulteration; he lists it under alloy.
Where he writes about it:
Adulteration, debasement, and deterioration are always used in the bad sense; admixture is neutral, and may be good or bad; alloy is commonly good in the literal sense. — from alloy
An excess of alloy virtually amounts to adulteration; but adulteration is now mostly restricted to articles used for food, drink, medicine, and kindred uses. — from alloy
Antonyms
none given