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12 dictionary results for: defile

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

de·file1

[di-fahyl] Pronunciation Key

–verb (used with object), -filed, -fil·ing.

1.	to make foul, dirty, or unclean; pollute; taint; debase.

2.	to violate the chastity of.

3.	to make impure for ceremonial use; desecrate.

4.	to sully, as a person's reputation.

[Origin: 1275–1325; ME defilen, defelen, alter. of defoilen (by assoc. with filen to file³) < AF, OF defouler to trample on, violate; cf. OE befȳlan to befoul

]

—Related forms

de·fil·a·ble, adjective

de·file·ment, noun

de·fil·er, noun

de·fil·ing·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

de·file2

[di-fahyl, dee-fahyl] Pronunciation Key noun, verb, -filed, -fil·ing.

–noun

1.	any narrow passage, esp. between mountains.

–verb (used without object)

2.	to march in a line or by files.

[Origin: 1675–85; < F défilé, n. use of ptp. of défiler to file off; see defilade

]

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

de·file¹ (dĭ-fīl') Pronunciation Key
tr.v. de·filed, de·fil·ing, de·files

To make filthy or dirty; pollute: defile a river with sewage.
To debase the pureness or excellence of; corrupt: a country landscape that was defiled by urban sprawl.
To profane or sully (a reputation, for example).
To make unclean or unfit for ceremonial use; desecrate: defile a temple.
To violate the chastity of.

[Middle English defilen, alteration (influenced by filen, to befoul, from Old English fȳlan; see p- in Indo-European roots) of defoulen, to trample on, abuse, pollute, from Old French defouler, to trample, full cloth : de-, de- + fouler, to trample, beat down; see full².]

de·file'ment n., de·fil'er n., de·fil'ing·ly adv.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

de·file²   (dĭ-fīl') Pronunciation Key
intr.v.   de·filed, de·fil·ing, de·files
To march in single file or in files or columns.

n.

A narrow gorge or pass that restricts lateral movement, as of troops.
A march in a line.

[French défiler : dé-, away, off (from Old French de-; see de-) + file, line, file (from Old French filer, to spin thread, march in line; see file¹). N., from French défilé, from past participle of défiler.]

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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
defile (v.)

"make filthy," c.1280, from O.Fr. defouler "trample down, violate," from de- "down" + fouler "to tread," from L. fullo "person who cleans and thickens cloth by stamping on it." Sense infl. by foul (q.v.); spelling infl. by obsolete native befile, which it replaced and which meant about the same thing.

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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
defile (n.)

"narrow passage," 1685, from Fr. défilé, n. use of pp. of défiler "march by files."

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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

defile
noun
1.	a narrow pass (especially one between mountains)
verb
1.	place under suspicion or cast doubt upon; "sully someone's reputation"
2.	make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically; "The silver was tarnished by the long exposure to the air"; "Her reputation was sullied after the affair with a married man" [syn: tarnish]
3.	spot, stain, or pollute; "The townspeople defiled the river by emptying raw sewage into it" [syn: foul]

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Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law - Cite This Source - Share This
Main Entry: de·file
Pronunciation: di-'fIl
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: de·filed; de·fil·ing
: to dishonor by physical acts (as trampling, dirtying, or mutilating) <defiling the flag> —de·file·ment noun —de·fil·er noun

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Defile

De*file"\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Defiled; p. pr. & vb. n. Defiling.] [F. d['e]filer; pref. d['e]-, for des- (L. dis-) + file a row or line. See File a row.] To march off in a line, file by file; to file off.

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Defile

De*file"\, v. t. (Mil.) Same as Defilade.

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Defile

De*file"\ (?; 277), n. [Cf. F. d['e]fil['e], fr. d['e]filer to defile.]

1. Any narrow passage or gorge in which troops can march only in a file, or with a narrow front; a long, narrow pass between hills, rocks, etc.

2. (Mil.) The act of defilading a fortress, or of raising the exterior works in order to protect the interior. See Defilade.

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Defile

De*file"\, v. t. [OE. defoulen, -foilen, to tread down, OF. defouler; de- + fouler to trample (see Full, v. t.), and OE. defoulen to foul (influenced in form by the older verb defoilen). See File to defile, Foul, Defoul.]

1. To make foul or impure; to make filthy; to dirty; to befoul; to pollute.

They that touch pitch will be defiled. --Shak.

2. To soil or sully; to tarnish, as reputation; to taint.

He is . . . among the greatest prelates of this age, however his character may be defiled by . . . dirty hands. --Swift.

3. To injure in purity of character; to corrupt.

Defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt. --Ezek. xx. 7.

4. To corrupt the chastity of; to debauch; to violate.

The husband murder'd and the wife defiled. --Prior.

5. To make ceremonially unclean; to pollute.

That which dieth of itself, or is torn with beasts, he shall not eat to defile therewith. --Lev. xxii. 8.

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