The Only Use of
defile
in
The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
- They seemed to realize the impossibility of touching TAR without being defiled.†
Chpt 3defiled = spoiled the beauty or purity of something
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.