All 4 Uses of
defile
in
The Brothers Karamazov
- Tell me, can he be allowed to go on defiling the earth?†
Chpt 2 *defiling = spoiling the beauty or purity of something
- Meanwhile, in their solitude, they keep the image of Christ fair and undefiled, in the purity of God's truth, from the times of the Fathers of old, the Apostles and the martyrs.†
Chpt 6undefiled = unspoiled (beautiful or pure)standard prefix: The prefix "un-" in undefiled means not and reverses the meaning of defiled. This is the same pattern you see in words like unhappy, unknown, and unlucky.
- Miuesov was on the point of shouting, but he suddenly checked himself, and said with contempt, "You defile everything you touch."†
Chpt 2
- Man, do not pride yourself on superiority to the animals; they are without sin, and you, with your greatness, defile the earth by your appearance on it, and leave the traces of your foulness after you—alas, it is true of almost every one of us!†
Chpt 6
Definitions:
-
(1)
(defile as in: it was defiled) to spoil the beauty or purity of somethingin various senses, including:
- pollute a pristine lake
- harm a reputation or good name
- damage or disrespect something sacred
- take a person's virginity in a disrespectful way
-
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
More rarely (but not uncommon in classic literature), defile can refer to a narrow valley or a march or passage through one.