Impuritas

Impuritas is a Latin noun meaning impurity, deriving from impurus "unclean." In classical and medieval Latin, it referred to moral, ritual, or physical uncleanliness. In modern scholarly usage, the term appears mainly in philosophical, theological, and historical discussions when Latin terminology is retained.

In Catholic moral theology and scholastic philosophy, impuritas denotes moral uncleanness or concupiscence, particularly as a vice or as a fault of the will, in contrast to puritas (purity) or castitas (chastity). The term also appears in patristic and medieval treatises on purity of heart and ascetic discipline.

In science and engineering, impurity refers to an undesired element or compound within a material. Impurities can be intentional (dopants) to alter electrical, optical, or mechanical properties, or unintentional contaminants. Impurity levels are quantified by concentration units such as parts per million or mole fraction, and materials are purified to specified purities through distillation, filtration, crystallization, electrorefining, zone refining, chromatography, or ion-exchange processes. In pharmaceuticals, food, and electronics, purity requirements are defined by regulatory or industry standards.

Impuritas is not commonly used in everyday English; the English term impurity is preferred, with impure as its adjective. When used, it often appears in scholarly or historical contexts, or as a direct reference to Latin texts.