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Defile vs Sully - What's the difference?

defile | sully |

As a noun defile

is fashion show.

As a verb sully is

to soil or stain; to dirty.

defile

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) .

Verb

(defil)
  • to make impure; to make dirty.
    • Synonyms
    * contaminate * pollute
    Antonyms
    * purify

    Etymology 2

    Earlier (defilee), from (etyl) .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A narrow way or passage, e.g. between mountains.
  • A single file, such as of soldiers.
  • The act of defilading a fortress, or of raising the exterior works in order to protect the interior.
    • See also
    * glen

    Verb

    (defil)
  • (archaic) To march in a single file.
  • * 1979 , Cormac McCarthy, Suttree , Random House, p.138:
    • They defiled down a gully to the water and bunched and jerked their noses at it and came back.

    Noun

  • march-past

    • Declension

    {{sh-decl-noun , defìl?, defilei , defilèa, defilé? , defileu, defileima , defile, defilee , defileu / defilee, defilei , defileu, defileima , defileom, defileima }}

    References

    *

    sully

    English

    Alternative forms

    * (l)

    Verb

  • to soil or stain; to dirty
    • He did not wish to sully his hands with gardening.
  • * Roscommon
    • statues sullied yet with sacrilegious smoke
  • to damage or corrupt
    • He did not wish to sully his reputation with an ill-mannered comment.
  • * Atterbury
    • no spots to sully the brightness of this solemnity
  • To become soiled or tarnished.
  • * Francis Bacon
    • Silvering will sully and canker more than gilding.