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defilement

 - 4 dictionary results

de⋅file

1  [di-fahyl]
Use defilement 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
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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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.
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.
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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