impur
impure, unclean
adjective an-PÜR Rare
Origin: Latin impurus (not pure), from in- (not) + purus (pure)
Usage Note
Impur carries both a literal sense (a contaminated substance) and a moral/religious sense (ritually or morally unclean). The feminine form is impure; the abstract noun is l'impureté. It appears frequently in religious and literary registers rather than everyday speech.
Examples
"L'eau de cette rivière est impure."
Natural Translation
The water in this river is impure.

Free starter pack
Building your French vocabulary?
Get the 100 most common French words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.
Related Words
Explore French by topic
FrenchNow
7 min read