Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Pure
Pure
,Adj.
[
Com
par.
Purer
; sup
erl.
Purest
.] [OE.
pur
, F. pur
, fr. L. purus
; akin to putus
pure, clear, putare
to clean, trim, prune, set in order, settle, reckon, consider, think, Skr. p[GREEK]
to clean, and perh. E. fire
. Cf. Putative
.] 1.
Separate from all heterogeneous or extraneous matter; free from mixture or combination; clean; mere; simple; unmixed;
as,
pure
water; pure
clay; pure
air; pure
compassion.The
pure
fetters on his shins great. Chaucer.
A guinea is
pure
gold if it has in it no alloy. I. Watts.
2.
Free from moral defilement or quilt; hence, innocent; guileless; chaste; – applied to persons.
“Keep thyself pure.” 1 Tim. v. 22.
Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a
pure
heart, and of a good conscience. 1 Tim. i. 5.
3.
Free from that which harms, vitiates, weakens, or pollutes; genuine; real; perfect; – applied to things and actions.
“Pure religion and impartial laws.” Tickell.
“The pure, fine talk of Rome.” Ascham.
Such was the origin of a friendship as warm and
pure
as any that ancient or modern history records. Macaulay.
4.
(Script.)
Ritually clean; fitted for holy services.
Thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the
pure
table before the Lord. Lev. xxiv. 6.
5.
(Phonetics)
Of a single, simple sound or tone; – said of some vowels and the unaspirated consonants.
Pure-impure
, completely or totally impure.
“The inhabitants were pure-impure pagans.” Fuller.
– Pure blue
. (Chem.)
See
– Methylene blue
, under Methylene
. Pure chemistry
. See under
– Chemistry
. Pure mathematics
, that portion of mathematics which treats of the principles of the science, or contradistinction to applied mathematics, which treats of the application of the principles to the investigation of other branches of knowledge, or to the practical wants of life.
See Mathematics
. Davies & Peck (Math. Dict. )
– Pure villenage
(Feudal Law)
, a tenure of lands by uncertain services at the will of the lord.
Blackstone.
Syn. – Unmixed; clear; simple; real; true; genuine; unadulterated; uncorrupted; unsullied; untarnished; unstained; stainless; clean; fair; unspotted; spotless; incorrupt; chaste; unpolluted; undefiled; immaculate; innocent; guiltless; guileless; holy.
Webster 1828 Edition
Pure
PURE
,Adj.
1.
Separate from all heterogeneous or extraneous matter; clear; free from mixture; as pure water; pure clay; pure sand; pure air; pure silver of gold. Pure wine is very scare.2.
Free from moral defilement; without spot; not sullied or tarnished; incorrupt; undebased by moral turpitude; holy. Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil. Hab.1. Prov.20.
3.
Genuine; real; true; incorrupt; unadulterated; as pure religion. James 1.4.
Unmixed; separate from any other subject or from every thing foreign; as pure mathematics.5.
Free from guilt; guiltless; innocent. No hand of strife is pure, but that which wins.
6.
Not vitiated with improper or corrupt words or phrases; as a pure style of discourse or composition.7.
Disinterested; as pure benevolence.8.
Chaste; as a pure virgin.9.
Free from vice or moral turpitude. Tit.1. 10. Ceremonially clean; unpolluted. Ezra 6.
11. Free from any thing improper; as, his motives are pure.
12. Mere; absolute; that and that only; unconnected with any thing else; as a pure villain. He did that from pure compassion, or pure good nature.
PURE
,Verb.
T.