All 3 Uses
defile
in
The Tattooist of Auschwitz
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- Working for the kapo is not the same as defiling hundreds of innocent people.†
p. 31.6defiling = spoiling the beauty or purity of something
- Tattooing the arms of men is one thing; defiling the bodies of young girls is horrifying.†
p. 40.9
- He, too, has chosen to stay alive for as long as he can, by performing an act of defilement on people of his own faith.†
p. 139.2 *defilement = the act of spoiling the beauty or purity of something
Definitions:
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(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.