Meanings
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo make filthy; befoul; soil.
Origin
- Proto-West Germanic*bifūlijan“to make foul”
- Old Englishbefȳlan“to befoul, defile, make dirty”
- Middle Englishbefilen
- Englishbefile
From Middle English befilen, from Old English befȳlan (“to befoul, defile, make dirty”), from Proto-West Germanic *bifūlijan (“to make foul”), equivalent to be- + file. Cognate with Scots befile (“to befile”), West Frisian befûlje (“to dirty”), Dutch bevuilen (“to soil, dirty”), German Low German befulen (“to soil, pollute”). See also defile.
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
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Cite this entry
befile. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/befile
“befile.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/befile. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “befile,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/befile.
Source: befile on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.