General term for unwanted mixing or impurity, used in environmental, scientific, and everyday contexts.
Strict hygiene controls are in place at food factories to prevent contamination.
The contamination of this river is a serious problem.
In linguistics, the blending or mixing of two words or forms, often resulting in a new expression or error.
See also: 混交
It is said that 'tondemo gozaimasen' is a contamination of 'tondemonai' and 'gozaimasen'.