Fylth

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Disgusting dirt, grime or foul matter that makes something unclean ; sexually explicit or morally corrupting material, especially in books, films or speech
2. Repulsive grime and rot that contaminates a place or thing ; lewd or depraved content that is considered offensive and corrupting
3. A foul, dirty substance that renders something unsanitary ; obscene or indecent writing, images or talk regarded as morally degrading

Etymology: "Filth" began as a plain abstract noun built from "foul." Old English speakers formed it by adding the suffix "-th" to the adjective "fūl," just as "length" comes from "long" and "depth" from "deep." The original sense was broad: a state of foulness or uncleanness, whether of the body, of a place, or of a moral condition. Its later narrowing to refuse and dirt came gradually. The spelling "fylth" is an older variant, reflecting how the vowel was pronounced and written in earlier English. Its root is the same, and it shows the word as a product of ordinary English word-building, not a borrowing from another language.