sully

Meanings

Verb

  • To soil or stain; to dirty.
  • To corrupt or damage.
  • To become soiled or tarnished.

Noun

  • A blemish.

Origin

  • From Middle English sulen, sulien, from Old English sylian ("to soil, pollute; to sully"), from Proto-Germanic *suliwōną, *sulwōną, *sulwijaną, from Proto-Indo-European *sūl- ("thick liquid, muck"), perhaps conflated partially with Old French souillier ("to soil") (modern French souiller) from the same Germanic source. The word is cognate with Danish søle ("to sully"), Dutch zaluwen ("to sully") (Middle Dutch saluwen ("to sully")), German sühlen ("to sully"), Old Saxon sulian ("to sully"), Swedish söla ("to sully"). Also compare Middle English sulpen ("to defile, pollute"), Old English solian ("to soil, become defiled, make or become foul"), and see more at soil.

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