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defile

 - 7 dictionary results

de⋅file

1  [di-fahyl]
Use defile in a Sentence
–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 file 3 ) < 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

de⋅file

2  [di-fahyl, dee-fahyl] 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
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To defile
de·file 1   (dĭ-fīl')   
tr.v.   de·filed, de·fil·ing, de·files

  1. To make filthy or dirty; pollute: defile a river with sewage.

  2. To debase the pureness or excellence of; corrupt: a country landscape that was defiled by urban sprawl.

  3. To profane or sully (a reputation, for example).

  4. To make unclean or unfit for ceremonial use; desecrate: defile a temple.

  5. 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.
de·file 2   (dĭ-fīl')   
intr.v.   de·filed, de·fil·ing, de·files
To march in single file or in files or columns.
n.  

  1. A narrow gorge or pass that restricts lateral movement, as of troops.

  2. 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.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

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.

defile  (n.)
"narrow passage," 1685, from Fr. défilé, n. use of pp. of défiler "march by files."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

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
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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