defoul

C2+ Topic:Space, Position & Direction

US /diˈfaʊl/ UK /diːˈfaʊl/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to defile, pollute, or trample down; to befoul (archaic)

The marauders defoul every sacred grove they pass through.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to defile, pollute, or... defile pollute befoul trample contaminate sully desecrate

Opposites

cleanse purify

Word family

Related forms defile foul befoul

Etymology

From Middle English defoulen ('to trample, pollute, dishonor'), from Old French defouler ('to trample down'), from de- ('down') + fouler ('to trample, full cloth'). Archaic; largely supplanted by defile.

defouler Old French fullare Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Space, Position & Direction Register & Style

External links

# defoul

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /diˈfaʊl/
**IPA (UK):** /diːˈfaʊl/

## Meanings
1. to defile, pollute, or trample down; to befoul (archaic)

## Examples
- The marauders defoul every sacred grove they pass through.

## Synonyms
- defile
- pollute
- befoul
- trample
- contaminate
- sully
- desecrate

## Antonyms
- cleanse
- purify

## Related Forms
- defile
- foul
- befoul

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: defouler
- Root: fullare

## Etymology
From Middle English defoulen ('to trample, pollute, dishonor'), from Old French defouler ('to trample down'), from de- ('down') + fouler ('to trample, full cloth'). Archaic; largely supplanted by defile.

## AI Etymology
Defoul is from Middle English defoulen ('to trample, pollute, dishonor'), from Old French defouler ('to trample down'), from de- ('down') + fouler ('to trample, full cloth'). Archaic; largely supplanted by defile. Important recorded forms include defouler (Old French) and fullare (Latin). Morphologically, the word is a built form whose named elements carry part of the historical sense. The current sense covers to defile, pollute, or trample down; to befoul (archaic). The wider family includes related words such as defile, foul, and befoul.

## Topics
- Space, Position & Direction
- Register & Style

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