pure

/ˈpyu̇r/

Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French pur, pure, going back to Latin pūrus "free from dirt, unmixed with other matter, free from ceremonial defilement or moral stain," going back to Indo-European *puh-ro-, whence also Middle Irish úr "fresh, new (of greenery), fair, bright," Welsh ir "verdant, fresh, thriving," adjectival derivative from the verb base *peu̯h- "clean, purify," whence, with varying ablaut and suffixation, Sanskrit punā́ti "(s/he) purifies, cleanses," pávate "(s/he) becomes clean, is purified," pavítra- "sieve," Avestan pūitika- "used for purification," Old High German fewen, fouwen "to pass through a sieve"

adjective

  1. unmixed with any other matter

  2. free from dust, dirt, or taint

  3. spotless, stainless

chaste pure modest decent mean free from all taint of what is lewd or salacious. chaste primarily implies a refraining from acts or even thoughts or desires that are not virginal or not sanctioned by marriage vows. pure differs from chaste in implying innocence and absence of temptation rather than control of one's impulses and actions.

adjective

  1. full-blooded

noun

  1. direct democracy

In a pure democracy, laws are simply made by the voting majority with the rights of the minority largely unprotected. In a {d_link|republic|republic}, laws are made by representatives chosen by the people who must comply with a constitution that specifically protects the rights of the minority from the will of the majority.