1. worthless or dangerous material that should be removed (Freq. 1) - there were impurities in the water • Syn: impurity • Derivationally related forms: impure (for: impurity) • Hypernyms: waste, waste material, waste matter, waste product 2. the scum formed by oxidation at the surface of molten metals • Syn: slag, scoria • Hypernyms: scum • Hyponyms: basic slag