soiling, soilure, dirtying
(noun) the act of soiling something
Source: WordNet® 3.1
soiling
present participle of soil
soiling (plural soilings)
An act of making dirty.
• oilings, siloing
Source: Wiktionary
Soil, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Soiled; p. pr. & vb. n. Soiling.] Etym: [OF. saoler, saouler, to satiate, F. soûler, L. satullare, fr. satullus, dim. of satur sated. See Satire.]
Definition: To feed, as cattle or horses, in the barn or an inclosure, with fresh grass or green food cut for them, instead of sending them out to pasture; hence (such food having the effect of purging them), to purge by feeding on green food; as, to soil a horse.
Soil, n. Etym: [OE. soile, F. sol, fr. L. solum bottom, soil; but the word has probably been influenced in form by soil a miry place. Cf. Saloon, Soil a miry place, Sole of the foot.]
1. The upper stratum of the earth; the mold, or that compound substance which furnishes nutriment to plants, or which is particularly adapted to support and nourish them.
2. Land; country. Must I thus leave thee, Paradise thus leave Thee, native soil Milton.
3. Dung; fæces; compost; manure; as, night soil. Improve land by dung and other sort of soils. Mortimer. Soil pipe, a pipe or drain for carrying off night soil.
Soil, v. t.
Definition: To enrich with soil or muck; to manure. Men . . . soil their ground, not that they love the dirt, but that they expect a crop. South.
Soil, n. Etym: [OF. soil, souil, F. souille, from OF. soillier, F. souiller. See Soil to make dirty.]
Definition: A marshy or miry place to which a hunted boar resorts for refuge; hence, a wet place, stream, or tract of water, sought for by other game, as deer. As deer, being stuck, fly through many soils, Yet still the shaft sticks fast. Marston. To take soil, to run into the mire or water; hence, to take refuge or shelter. O, sir, have you taken soil here It is well a man may reach you after three hours' running. B. Jonson.
Soil, v. t.Etym: [OE. soilen, OF. soillier, F. souiller, (assumed) LL. suculare, fr. L. sucula a little pig, dim. of sus a swine. See Sow, n.]
1. To make dirty or unclean on the surface; to foul; to dirty; to defile; as, to soil a garment with dust. Our wonted ornaments now soiled and stained. Milton.
2. To stain or mar, as with infamy or disgrace; to tarnish; to sully. Shak.
Syn.
– To foul; dirt; dirty; begrime; bemire; bespatter; besmear; daub; bedaub; stain; tarnish; sully; defile; pollute.
Soil, v. i.
Definition: To become soiled; as, light colors soil sooner than dark ones.
Soil, n. Etym: [See Soil to make dirty, Soil a miry place.]
Definition: That which soils or pollutes; a soiled place; spot; stain. A lady's honor . . . will not bear a soil. Dryden.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
20 June 2025
(adjective) marked by simplicity; having a humble opinion of yourself; “a modest apartment”; “too modest to wear his medals”
The word “coffee” entered the English language in 1582 via the Dutch “koffie,” borrowed from the Ottoman Turkish “kahve,” borrowed in turn from the Arabic “qahwah.” The Arabic word qahwah was traditionally held to refer to a type of wine.
