defile

¹

[ dih-fahyl ]

verb (used with object)

, de·filed, de·fil·ing.

1. to make foul, dirty, or unclean; pollute; taint; debase.
2. to make impure for ceremonial use; desecrate.
3. to sully, as a person's reputation.
4. Archaic. to violate the chastity of.

defile

²

[ dih-fahyl, dee-fahyl ]

noun

1. any narrow passage, especially between mountains.

verb (used without object)

, de·filed, de·fil·ing.

1. to march in a line or by files.

defile

¹

/ ˈdiːfaɪl; dɪˈfaɪl /

noun

1. a narrow pass or gorge, esp one between two mountains
2. a single file of soldiers, etc

verb

1. military to march or cause to march in single file

defile

²

/ dɪˈfaɪl /

verb

1. to make foul or dirty; pollute
2. to tarnish or sully the brightness of; taint; corrupt
3. to damage or sully (someone's good name, reputation, etc)
4. to make unfit for ceremonial use; desecrate
5. to violate the chastity of

Derived Forms

• deˈfilement, noun
• deˈfiler, noun

Other Words From

• de·fil·a·ble adjective
• de·file·ment noun
• de·fil·er noun
• de·fil·ing·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of defile¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English defilen, defelen, alteration of defoilen (by association with filen “to defile” ( file ³ ), from Anglo-French, Old French defouler “to trample on, violate”; compare Old English befȳlan “to befoul”

Origin of defile²

1675–85; < French défilé, noun use of past participle of défiler to file off; defilade

Word History and Origins

Origin of defile¹

C17: from French défilé, from défiler to file off, from filer to march in a column, from Old French: to spin, from fil thread, from Latin fīlum

Origin of defile²

C14: from earlier defoilen (influenced by filen to file ³), from Old French defouler to trample underfoot, abuse, from de- + fouler to tread upon; see full ²

Example Sentences

By extension, "thook-jihad" accuses Muslims of trying to defile Hindus by spitting in their food.

From BBC

Some Parisians backed the move, but others - including heritage campaigners - said it was a bad idea and would "defile" the French capital's iconic monument.

From BBC

"It's a historic monument, why defile it with rings? It was good for the Olympics but now it's over, we can move on, maybe we should remove them and return the Eiffel Tower to how it was before," he told France Bleu.

From BBC

“We can’t just take, defile and desecrate someone’s body without consent,” Numa says.

From Salon

“But we continue with the tradition of protecting the forest because our ancestors have told us not to defile the forest.”

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• besmirch
• debase
• degrade
• desecrate
• discolor
• dishonor
• sully
• vitiate