Pristine

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈpɹɪstiːn/

Definitions

1. In perfect, original condition; completely clean and untouched by damage or contamination
2. Untouched and in its original condition, a state representing complete cleanliness without any form of deterioration or pollution
3. Remaining in a pure and unspoiled state, signifying a flawless, clean appearance free from any marks or alterations

Etymology: Before "pristine" meant spotless, it meant former. Its Latin ancestor, "prīstinus," described things belonging to an earlier time, in their original state. English kept that sense of an earlier, untouched condition, and the idea of something never spoiled grew naturally from it: a thing still in its original state is unblemished. The word reached English through Middle French "pristin," which kept the Latin form. It can look as though it comes from the Greek "prístis," meaning saw or sawfish, and the Latin word "pristis" for sawfish was indeed borrowed from that Greek term. But that is a coincidence of spelling rather than ancestry. "Pristine" descends from the Latin adjective for earlier times, not from anything with teeth.

Synonyms: unspoiled, untouched, pure, immaculate, virgin

Antonyms: polluted, tainted, contaminated, damaged, corrupted