pristine
adjective
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When pristine was anglicized in the 16th century, people borrowed the meanings of "early" and "original" from the Latin word pristinus and applied those meanings to what is desirable as well as to what is not. But it has long been a tendency of civilized people to admire a simpler and unsullied past. The supposition is that when things were in their oldest or original state, they were better. Thus, pristine was extended to describe the notion of an unspoiled, uncorrupted, or unpolluted state. And what is unspoiled or uncontaminated may connote the freshness and cleanness of something that has just been made, which explains how pristine has also come to mean "fresh and clean."
Examples of pristine in a Sentence
Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025
Paradise Beach has pristine shores with plenty of space to spread out.
—Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 7 Sep. 2025
This research is notable for being one of the first long-term studies to quantify insect declines in a pristine environment relatively untouched by humans.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2025
On the platform, around the clock, the racket of metal bore pipes and machinery, the drilling grime and the speckled mud mingled with the quieter, cleaner work of scientists in trailers converted to pristine labs and processing posts.
—Rodrique Ngowi, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Pristine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pristine. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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pristine
adjective
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