Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

pollŭo, ŭi, ūtum, 3, v. a. [cf.: adluo, diluo; Gr. λούω, to wash; λῦμα, λύμη, λυμαίνω, to cleanse, ruin], to soil, defile, pollute.

  1. I. Lit. (very rare): ore dapes, Verg. A. 3, 234: ora cruore, Ov. M. 15, 98: pollui cuncta sanie, odore, contactu, Tac. A. 4, 49: usu tegmina, id. ib. 13, 57: vina deciduo immundiore lapsu, Plin. 14, 19, 23, § 119: polluta mensa cruore, Sil. 7, 183.
  2. II. Trop.
    1. A. In gen., to defile morally, to pollute, contaminate, violate, dishonor, desecrate, etc. (class.; syn.: inquino, contamino): polluta et violata sacra, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 72, § 187; cf. id. Rosc. Am. 26, 71: deorum hominumque jura inexpiabili scelere, id. Phil. 11, 12, 29: fratris filiam incesto, Plin. Ep. 4, 11, 6: tragico pollutus concubitu, Juv. 2, 29: famam domūs stupro turpi, Phaedr. 3, 10, 17: nec Electrae jugulo se polluit, Juv. 8, 218: mentem suam et aures hominum nefariā voce, Tac. A. 3, 50: incestis se matrimoniis, Mos. et Rom. Leg. Coll. 6, 4, 3: jejunia, to violate, break, Nigid. ap. Isid. Orig. 20, 2: Jovem, to insult, Prop. 4 (5), 9, 8: ferias, to desecrate (by labor), Gell. 2, 28, 3: avaritia invadit, polluit, vastat omnia, Sall. J. 41, 9; Ov. M. 2, 794: polluta pax, Verg. A. 7, 467: polluendam perdendamque rempublicam relinquere, Tac. H. 2, 76: ferias, Macr. S. 1, 16, 11.
      Esp., in eccl. Lat., to render unclean, in a ceremonial sense, Vulg. Lev. 7, 21; pass., to be unclean, id. ib. 11, 27; 15, 32: pollutum et mundum, id. ib. 10, 10: pollutum comedit, id. Osee, 9, 3.
    2. B. In partic., to violate, dishonor a woman (post-Aug.), Tac. A. 12, 46; id. Agr. 31; Vulg. Ezech. 18, 11.
      Hence, pollū-tus, a, um, P. a., polluted, i. e. no longer virgin, then vicious, unchaste, Cat. 60, 46: femina, Liv. 10, 23, 10: princeps, Tac. H. 2, 37 fin.: scelesta pollutaque femina, App. M. 10, 34.
      Comp.: senectus, more vicious, more sinful, Sil. 11, 47.
      Sup.: dives, App. M. 9, p. 234, 31.