How Do You Spell DEFILE?

Pronunciation: [dɪfˈa͡ɪl] (IPA)

The word "defile" is spelled with six letters, starting with "d" and ending with "e". It is pronounced as /dɪˈfaɪl/. The first syllable "di" is pronounced as "dɪ" like "dill". The second syllable "fi" is pronounced as "faɪ" like "fye". The word means to make something dirty or to violate someone's purity, dignity or honor. It can also refer to a narrow passage between two hills or mountains. The spelling and pronunciation of the word are essential to convey its meaning accurately.

Meaning and Definition
Common Misspellings
Etymology
Similar spelling words
Plural
Conjugate verb
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DEFILE Meaning and Definition

  1. Defile is a verb that refers to the act of polluting, corrupting, or making impure, typically by the introduction of something harmful or undesirable. When a place or object is defiled, it becomes stained, ruined, or tainted in some way, often resulting in a loss of its original purity or sanctity.

    In a literal sense, defile can involve physically dirtying or damaging something through contamination, littering, or desecration. For example, defiling a water source can render it unsafe for consumption or defiling a religious artifact can desecrate its sacred value.

    However, defile can also be used metaphorically to describe the contamination or degradation of non-physical entities such as principles, ideals, or concepts. It implies a violation of something considered morally or ethically pure. For instance, one can defile the truth by spreading lies or defile a reputation by spreading damaging rumors.

    The word is often associated with negative actions or events that cause harm, dishonor, or degradation. Defile can also imply a violation of natural beauty or harmony, as seen when a pristine landscape is defiled by human-induced destruction, such as deforestation or pollution.

    Overall, defile encompasses a wide range of actions, both physical and metaphorical, that lead to the pollution, corruption, or loss of purity, sanctity, or integrity in various contexts.

  2. • To render unclean or dirty; to make impure; to pollute or corrupt; to violate chastity.
    • A long narrow pass or gorge between hills through which troops can only march with a narrow front, or one by one.
    • To march off in a line or row, as soldiers.

    Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.

Common Misspellings for DEFILE

Etymology of DEFILE

The word "defile" has its origins in the Old French term "defouler", which meant "to trample down" or "to tread upon". This term is derived from the Latin word "dis-" meaning "away" or "apart", and "fullo" meaning "to tread". In early usage, "defile" referred to the act of treading or trampling upon something, such as the trampling of grass or the movement of troops through a narrow passage. Over time, the term evolved to also signify the act of desecrating or polluting something, both in a physical and metaphorical sense.

Similar spelling words for DEFILE

Plural form of DEFILE is DEFILES

Conjugate verb Defile

CONDITIONAL PERFECT

I would have defiled
you would have defiled
he/she/it would have defiled
we would have defiled
they would have defiled
I would have defile
you would have defile
he/she/it would have defile
we would have defile
they would have defile

CONDITIONAL PERFECT PROGRESSIVE

I would have been defiling
you would have been defiling
he/she/it would have been defiling
we would have been defiling
they would have been defiling

CONDITIONAL PRESENT

I would defile
you would defile
he/she/it would defile
we would defile
they would defile

CONDITIONAL PRESENT PROGRESSIVE

I would be defiling
you would be defiling
he/she/it would be defiling
we would be defiling
they would be defiling

FUTURE

I will defile
you will defile
he/she/it will defile
we will defile
they will defile

FUTURE CONTINUOUS

I will be defiling
you will be defiling
he/she/it will be defiling
we will be defiling
they will be defiling

FUTURE PERFECT

I will have defiled
you will have defiled
he/she/it will have defiled
we will have defiled
they will have defiled

FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS

I will have been defiling
you will have been defiling
he/she/it will have been defiling
we will have been defiling
they will have been defiling

IMPERATIVE

you defile
we let´s defile

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

to defile

PAST CONTINUOUS

I was defiling
you were defiling
he/she/it was defiling
we were defiling
they were defiling

PAST PARTICIPLE

defiled

PAST PERFECT

I had defiled
you had defiled
he/she/it had defiled
we had defiled
they had defiled

PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

I had been defiling
you had been defiling
he/she/it had been defiling
we had been defiling
they had been defiling

PRESENT

I defile
you defile
he/she/it defiles
we defile
they defile

PRESENT CONTINUOUS

I am defiling
you are defiling
he/she/it is defiling
we are defiling
they are defiling

PRESENT PARTICIPLE

defiling

PRESENT PERFECT

I have defiled
you have defiled
he/she/it has defiled
we have defiled
they have defiled

PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

I have been defiling
you have been defiling
he/she/it has been defiling
we have been defiling
they have been defiling

PRESENT SUBJUNCTIVE

he/she/it defile

SIMPLE PAST

I defiled
you defiled
he/she/it defiled
we defiled
they defiled

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Correct spelling for defile
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