Befoul

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /bɪˈfaʊl/

Definitions

1. To make something dirty or polluted by contaminating it with filth or noxious substances
2. To sully the purity of an object or environment through the introduction of dirt or harmful materials
3. To render an area or item unclean or impure by the act of contaminating it with undesirable substances

Etymology: "Befoul" is a plain formation: the prefix "be-" attached to the adjective "foul." In Old English, "fūl" meant rotten or putrid, and it was used of decaying matter, bad smells and anything corrupt, a sense it still carries in phrases about foul air or foul water. The prefix "be-" in this kind of verb generally means "thoroughly" or "all over," so "befoul" describes covering or soiling something completely, not merely touching it. The verb therefore builds directly on the older sense of "foul" as something rotten or filthy. Its literal meaning of soiling is the one that has stayed in use, and it has been applied to physical dirt as well as to the moral sense of corrupting or dishonouring something.

Synonyms: pollute, taint, dirty, contaminate, stain

Antonyms: clean, purify, sanitize, clarify, refine