All 4 Uses of
defile
in
The Lords of Discipline
- I wondered if the grotesque phantoms of their damaged spirits haunted the alcoves of the barracks for all times, recruiting others into their defiled tormented ranks with howls of gratitude as they watched the others come apart at the soul.†
Chpt 1.14defiled = spoiled the beauty or purity of something
- I witnessed the magnificent courage of the weak and then watched them turn into the defiled images of their tormentors.†
Chpt 2.17 *
- If I can find him and if it exists and if it has the mandate to keep the Corps pure and undefiled that you say it has.†
Chpt 4.34undefiled = 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.
- I had a passion for the undefiled virtuous stand and a need to sacrifice myself for some immaculate cause.†
Chpt 4.42
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.