Where does “defilement” come from?
Defilement comes from Middle English defilen, from French défilé, ultimately from Latin filius meaning "son," with the prefix dé- (from des-) modifying the root.
defilement (English): The act of defiling; The state of being defiled;...
Definitions
- The act of defiling; The state of being defiled;...
Ancestry of “defilement”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | defile | To make unclean, dirty, or impure; soil; befoul;... |
| 2 | French | défilé | past participle of défiler; parade; march in... |
| 3 | French | défiler | To parade or march; To appear one after the... |
| 4 | French | dé- | used to make antonyms |
| 5 | Middle French | dés- | de-; dis |
| 6 | Latin | dē- | of; from |
| 7 | Latin | dē | of; concerning; about |
| 8 | Latin | post | behind; after, since, besides, except; behind,... |
| 9 | Latin | poste | ablative singular of postis |
| 10 | Proto-Italic | posti | behind, after |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | pósti | after |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | pós | afterwards, post; by, at |