I. Orig., to bring into contact, touch.
A. In gen. (very rare): “manus quibus contaminatur,” Tert. Apol. 17; cf.: contaminare, contingere, Gloss. ap. Mai, Auct. Class. VI. p. 518 a.—
B. To bring into union, to mingle, blend together, unite. So twice in Ter. of the blending of parts of different comedies into one whole: “multas Graecas fabulas,” Ter. Heaut. prol. 17; id. And. prol. 16; cf. upon this Grauert, Analekten. p. 116 sq.—
II. To deteriorate by mingling, corrupt, contaminate, defile, stain, pollute (something by something; very freq., esp. in the trop. signif., and in Cic.; not in Quint.).
A. Lit.: “deam Syriam urinā,” Suet. Ner. 56: “lacus (connected with spurcare aquas),” Dig. 47, 11, 1: “spiritum,” Cic. Pis. 9, 20.—Of unnatural vice: “ingenuos,” Petr. 108, 3.—
B. Trop.: “gaudium aegritudine aliquā,” to mar, efface, Ter. Eun. 3, 5, 4: “se humanis vitiis (joined with se inquinare domesticis vitiis atque flagitiis),” Cic. Tusc. 1, 30, 72: “sanguinem suum lege (Canuleia),” Liv. 4, 1, 2: “gentes, i. e. by adoption into a plebeian family,” Cic. Dom. 13, 35: “ordines neglegentiā,” Suet. Vesp. 9: “veritatem aliquo mendacio,” Cic. Sull. 16, 45: “mentem omni scelere,” Liv. 40, 13, 4; cf.: “aliquem scelere,” Tac. A. 1, 35; and: “se sanguine,” Cic. Cat. 1, 12, 29: “sese maleficio,” id. Rosc. Am. 40, 116: “se ipsos ac domos suas nefanda praeda,” Liv. 29, 18, 8 al.—In part. perf.: “contaminati facinore,” Caes. B. G. 7, 43; so, “tot parricidiis,” Cic. Phil. 12, 7, 15: “multis flagitiis,” id. Clu. 35, 97: “omnibus probris,” Suet. Aug. 65; id. Vit. 4: “judicia vitio paucorum (joined with corrupta),” Cic. Div. in Caecil. 21, 70: “verbum assiduo usu,” Gell. 2, 6, 25.—Hence, contāmĭnā-tus , a, um, P. a., stained with guilt, polluted, contaminated, impure, vile, defiled: “se ut consceleratos contaminatosque ab ludis abactos esse,” Liv. 2, 37, 9; cf.: “pars civitatis, velut contaminata,” id. 4, 4, 6: “superstitio,” Cic. Clu. 68, 194 al.—So several times of incontinence, * Hor. C. 1, 37, 9: “flos aetatis,” Suet. Caes. 49: “paene omnibus membris,” id. Ner. 29.—Sup.: homo sceleribus flagitiisque contaminatissimus, Cic. Prov. Cons. 6, 14; id. Dom. 9, 23.—Subst.
1. contāmĭnāti , ōrum, m., abandoned youths, Tac. A. 15, 37.—
2. contāmĭ-nāta , ōrum, n., adulterated things: “ut anteponantur ... integra contaminatis,” Cic. Top. 18, 69.—Comp. and adv. not in use.