🇩🇪German Source WordCode: DE

beschmutzen

Pronunciation / Transliteration: /bəˈʃmʊt͡sn̩/

🇬🇧 Direct English Meaning:
Befoul/bɪˈfaʊl/
verbCEFR C2 (Proficient)Top #28450 frequency
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🇩🇪 Example Sentence in German:

"Die Chemikalien könnten das Trinkwasser beschmutzen."

Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As verb
  1. 1

    To make foul, dirty, or unclean; to soil, stain, or pollute.

    "Industrial waste threatened to befoul the pristine river waters."
  2. 2

    To damage the reputation or purity of something; to defile morally.

    "He tried to befoul her good name with malicious rumors."

Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum

Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

Derived from Middle English, combining the intensive prefix 'be-' (meaning thoroughly or to make) with 'foul', originating from Old English 'fūl' meaning rotten or corrupt. The term has historically been used to describe both physical contamination and moral tarnishing.

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