Where does “defile” come from?
Defile comes from Middle English defilen, from French défilé, from French défiler, formed with the French prefix dé- (from Middle French des-) and Latin filius meaning son.
defile (English): To make unclean, dirty, or impure; soil; befoul;...
Definitions
- To make unclean, dirty, or impure; soil; befoul;...
Ancestry of “defile”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | French | défilé | past participle of défiler; parade; march in... |
| 2 | French | défiler | To parade or march; To appear one after the... |
| 3 | French | dé- | used to make antonyms |
| 4 | Middle French | dés- | — |
| 5 | Latin | dē- | — |
| 6 | Latin | dē | — |
| 7 | Latin | post | behind; after, since, besides, except; behind,... |
| 8 | Latin | poste | ablative singular of postis |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | posti | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pósti | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | pós | afterwards, post; by, at |
Words derived from “defile”