Both Uses
defile
in
Oedipus King of Thebes (translated by: Murray)
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- Thebes now doth banish me, And never in this exile must I see Mine ancient folk of Corinth, never tread The land that bore me; else my mother's bed Shall be defiled, and Polybus, my good Father, who loved me well, be rolled in blood.†
Chpt Playdefiled = spoiled the beauty or purity of something
- Fear lest thou take Defilement from the two that gave thee birth?†
Chpt Play *defilement = the act of spoiling the beauty or purity of something
Definitions:
-
(1)
(defile) 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
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(2)
(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.