All 3 Uses of
sully
in
The Last of the Mohicans
- His nether garment was a yellow nankeen, closely fitted to the shape, and tied at his bunches of knees by large knots of white ribbon, a good deal sullied by use.†
Chpt 1 *sullied = spoiled or cast doubt upon a reputation
- The less zealous English thought they conferred a sufficient honor on its unsullied fountains, when they bestowed the name of their reigning prince, the second of the house of Hanover.†
Chpt 1unsullied = unspoiled and undamagedstandard prefix: The prefix "un-" in unsullied means not and reverses the meaning of sullied. This is the same pattern you see in words like unhappy, unknown, and unlucky.
- But Magua is pledged not to sully the lilies of France.†
Chpt 17
Definitions:
-
(1)
(sully as in: sully her reputation) to soil or stain -- especially to damage a reputation that was previously unblemished
-
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
Less commonly, sully can also mean to spoil or make dirty.