▪ I. † deˈfoul, deˈfoil, v. Obs.
Forms: α. 3–5 defoule-n, 4–6 defoul(e, defowl(e, (5 defoulle, devoul, def(f)ule, diffowl, dyffowl, 5–6 diffoule). β. 4–6 defoyle, (5 defuyl(e, diffoyle, defoylle), 5–6 defoil. See also defile.
[ME. a. OF. defoule-r (defoler, -fuler, -fuller) to trample down, oppress, outrage, violate, deflower, f. de- I. 1 + fouler (foler, fuler) ‘to tread, stampe, or trample on, to bruise or crush by stamping’ Cotgr. (= Pr. folar, Sp. hollar, It. follare):—late L. *fullāre to stamp with the feet, to full (cloth), connected with L. fullo, -ōnem fuller, med.L. fullātōrium a fulling-mill, etc. Senses 1–5 existed already in OF.; the senses ‘trample in the mud’, and ‘violate chastity’, thus coming with the word into English, naturally suggested that it contained the native adjective foul, OE. f{uacu}l, and gave rise to senses 6–8, which derive from ‘foul’, as well as (apparently) to the collateral form defile (q.v.), on the analogy of the equivalence of befoul, befile. The phonology of the variant defuyle, defoyle (found nearly as early as defoule), has not been satisfactorily made out: see foil v. It occurs in the earlier senses, and does not appear to have been specially connected with defile.]
1. trans. To trample under foot; tread down.
| α c 1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 375/297 Defoulede huy [þe bones] weren so. 1297 R. Glouc. (1724) 536 Hii..orne on him mid hor hors, & defoulede him vaste. a 1340 Hampole Psalter xc. 13 Þou sall defoul þe lyon & þe dragon. 1340 Ayenb. 167 Mochel is defouled mid þe uet of uolleres Þe robe of scarlet, erþan þet þe kuen his do an. 1382 Wyclif Matt. vii. 6 Nethir sende ȝe ȝoure margaritis..bifore swyne, lest perauenture thei defoulen hem with theire feet [Vulg. conculcent]. c 1400 Three Kings Cologne 50 On þe morwe þei siȝen þe weye gretlich defowled with hors fete and oþir beestys. 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 181 b/1 Thenne the knyghtes..bete & defowleden nazaryen under theyr feet. 1574 tr. Littleton's Tenures 66 b, Wasting and defouling of their grasse. |
| β c 1330 Arth. & Merl. 9297 Ther was defoiled King Rion Vnder stedes fet mani on. 1470–85 Malory Arthur i. xiv, That were fowle defoyled vnder horsfeet. 1525 Ld. Berners Froiss. II. xv. 30 As they rode abrode, thay beate downe and defoyled their cornes..and wolde nat kepe the highe wayes. |
b. absol. or intr.| β a 1300 K. Alis. 2463 Me myghte y-seo ther knyghtis defoille, Heorten blede, braynes boyle, Hedes tomblen. |
2. To bruise, break, crush (materially).
| c 1300 Beket 1100 The bond is undo And al defouled, and we beoth delyvred so [cf. Psalm cxxiv. 7]. a 1325 Prose Psalter xlv[i]. 9 He shal de-foule bowe and breke armes. c 1386 Chaucer Pars. T. ¶207 He was woundid for oure mysdede, and defouled by oure felonyes. 14.. Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 575/12 Contero, to breke or defoule. a 1533 Ld. Berners Huon cxxi. 433 The Gryffon so sore defowlyd and bet hym that he could not ryse vp. |
3. To trample down or crush (figuratively); to oppress; to outrage, maltreat, abuse.
| α c 1300 St. Brandan 508 The develen..nome thane wrecche faste, And defoulede him stronge y-nouȝ and amidde the fur him caste. c 1325 E.E. Allit. P. B. 1129 If folk be defowled by vnfre chaunce. 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. xviii. 195 How ryght holy men lyueden, How thei defouleden here fleessh. a 1400 Relig. Pieces fr. Thornton MS. (1867) 46 To refuse it [ilke a bodily ymagynacyone] and to defule it, þat it may see the selfe swylke as it es. 1485 Caxton Chas. Gt. 108 Thou hast gretely defouled me by oultrage. 1508 Dunbar Flyting 236 Oule, rere and ȝowle, I sall defowll thy pryde. |
| β c 1350 Will. Palerne 4614 Alle ȝour fon þat with fors defoyled ȝou long. 1494 Fabyan Chron. 4 Of Danes, whiche both landes defoyled By their outrage. 1548 Hall Chron. (1809) 486 Perkyn..so many times had been defoyled and vanquished. |
4. To violate the chastity of, deflower, debauch. Often,
esp. in later use, with the sense of
defile.
| α c 1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 181/24 Woldest þov defouli mi bodi? c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 317 Philip..Defoules þer wyues, þer douhtres lay bi, Þer lordes slouh with knyues. c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) xxxi. 141 After þe first nyght þat þase wymmen er so defouled. c 1450 Lonelich Grail xliii. 163 And for Child beryng neuere defowlid was, but Evere Clene virgine be Goddis gras. 1483 Caxton G. de la Tour C vj, Their suster that so had be depuceled or defowled. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. xxxvii. 51 The Spanyerdes..pilled the towne, and slewe dyuers, and defowled maydens. 1596 Dalrymple Leslie's Hist. Scot. I. 122 Gif quha defoulis a nothir manis wyfe. |
| β 1430–40 Chaucer's Frankl. T. 668 (Camb. MS.) Now sythe that maydenys haddyn swich dispit To been defoyled [other MSS. defouled] with manys foule delyt. 1486 Act 3 Hen. VII, c. 2 Women..been..married to such Mis-doers..or defoiled, to the great Displeasure of God. |
5. To violate (laws, holy places, etc.); to break the sanctity of, profane, pollute.
| α 13.. Version of Ps. lxxviii. 1 (in Wyclif's Bible Pref. 4 note), Thei defouledyn thin hooli temple. 1382 Wyclif Matt. xii. 5 In sabothis prestis in the temple defoulen the sabothis. c 1400 Mandeville (1839) xii. 137 The Jewes..han defouled the Lawe. 1485 Caxton Chas. Gt. 42 He hath..deffuled chyrches. 1491 ― Vitas Patr. (W. de W. 1495) i. xxxv. 29 a/1 The name of our blessyd sauyour..[was] horrybly dispysed & defouled. 1513 Douglas æneis x. vii. 69 The quhilk..Defowlit his fadderis bed incestuusly. 1614 T. White Martyrd. St. George B ij b, It moued not the Tyrant to behold The Martirs goodly body so defowld. |
| β 13.. Prose Psalter lxxviii. 1 Hij filden [Dublin MS. defoilyd] þyn holy temple. c 1450 St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 7373 My kirke þou hase defuyled. 1481 Caxton Tulle on Friendsh. C iij, That frendship were hurte or defoylled. 1549–62 Sternhold & H. Ps. lxxix, Thy temple they defoile. |
6. To render (materially) foul, filthy, or dirty; to pollute, defile, dirty.
| α c 1320 R. Brunne Medit. 506 With wete and eke dung þey hym defoule. 1402 Hoccleve Letter of Cupid 186 That bird..ys dyshonest..that vseth to defoule his ovne neste. 1530 Rastell Bk. Purgat. iii. viii, Yf ony of those table clothes or napkyns be defouled with dust fylth or other foule mater. 1576 Turberv. Venerie 100 An Hart defowlant the water. |
| β 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 15 b/1 Thy desyrous vysage..the Jewes with their spyttynges have defoylled. 1528 Roy Rede me (Arb.) 113 Henns and capons Defoylynge theym with their durt. 1548 Udall, etc. Erasm. Par. Luke xxiv. 191 Not stained or defoiled. 1600 Fairfax Tasso viii. lx, With dust and gore defoiled. |
7. fig. a. To defile or pollute morally; to corrupt.
| α a 1340 Hampole Psalter 518 Defouland his elde in syn. c 1380 Wyclif Wks. (1880) 129 To kepe hym self unblekkid or defoulid fro þis world. c 1440 Hylton Scala Perf. (W. de W. 1494) i. lxiii, Wyth thy pryde thou defowlest all thy good dedes. 1484 Caxton Chivalry 45 Chyualrye..is defouled by coward men and faynt of herte. 1540 Taverner Postils, Exhort. bef. Commun., Man, which is so much defouled & corrupt in all kynde of unryghtuousnes. a 1555 Philpot Exam. & Writ. (Parker Soc.) 373 He defouleth the whole faith of his testimony, by the falsifying of one part. |
| β 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. ii. ii. (1495) 29 Angels..ben not defoyled wyth none affeccyon. c 1440 Hylton Scala Perf. (W. de W. 1494) i. xliii, Yf thou be defoyled wyth vaynglory. 1450–1530 Myrr. our Ladye 98 Yt was defoyled and darkyd and mysshape by synne. |
b. To render ceremonially or sentimentally unclean; to defile, sully.
| c 1449 Pecock Repr. 465 To ete with hondis not wayschen defoulith not a man. 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 141 b/1 The mouth whyche god had kyssed ought not to be defouled in touchyng. 1611 Speed Hist. Gt. Brit. vii. xlii. §14. 352 Must I needs defoule my self, to be his only faire foule. |
c. To sully (fame, reputation, or the like); to defame.
| α c 1400 Destr. Troy 2475 Your suster..þat our fame so defoules, & is in filth holdyn. c 1450 Golagros & Gaw. 1038 Wes I neuer yit defoullit, nor fylit in fame. |
| β 1470–85 Malory Arthur ix. xxxii, I..am defoiled with falshede and treason. |
8. To make unsightly or ugly [
cf. foul a.], to disfigure.
| α 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) I. 389 And þey be faire of schap, þey beeþ defouled and i-made vnsemelich i-now wiþ here owne cloþinge. 1430 Lydg. Chron. Troy ii. xi, The soyle defouled with ruyne Of walles olde. |
| β 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. vii. lx. (1495) 276 Blaynes defoylle the skynne and maketh it vnsemely. |
▪ II. † deˈfoul, deˈfoil, n. Obs. Also
defoule,
-fowle;
defoile.
[f. defoul v.] 1. Trampling down; oppression, outrage.
| c 1330 Arth. & Merl. 7999 (Mätzn.) Ther was fighting, ther was toile, And vnder hors knightes defoile. Ibid. 9191 Ther was swiche cark and swiche defoil. 1400 Earl of Dunbar Let. in C. Innes Scot. Mid. Ages ix. (1860) 263 The wrongs & the defowle that ys done me. c 1425 Wyntoun Cron. viii. xxvi. 54 (Jam.) Lychtlynes and succwdry Drawys in defowle comownaly. 1563–87 Foxe A. & M. (1684) I. 460/1 If we take this defoule and this disease in patience. |
2. Defilement, pollution.
| c 1325 E.E. Allit. P. C. 290 Þer no de-foule of no fylþe watz fest hym abute. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) I. 109 Þat þe water..takeþ no defoul, but is clene i-now. 1398 ― Barth. De P.R. xvii. cxxiii. (Tollem. MS.), Picche defouleþ..and suche defoule [1535 defoylynge] is unneþe taken awey from cloþe. |