Forms: 2–3 fulen, 3 filen(n, 3–6 fele, 4–8 fyle, (6 fyll, 7 feel), 3– file. [OE. *fýlan (in combs. a-, be-, ȝefýlan) = MDu. vuilen, OHG. fûlen:—OTeut. *fúljan, f. *fúlo- FOUL a.
In early southern ME. the spelling fule-n represents both this vb. and the originally intransitive vb. FOUL:—OE. fúlian.]
1. trans. To render (materially) foul, filthy or dirty; to pollute, dirty; to destroy the cleanness or purity of; = DEFILE v.1 2. Obs. exc. dial.
13[?]. E. E. Allit. P., B. 136. No festiual frok but fyled with werkkeȝ.
c. 1340. Richard Rolle of Hampole, Prick of Conscience, 2348.
| For a thyng es fouler þat may file, | |
| Þan þe thyng þat it fyles. |
c. 1475. Rauf Coilȝear, 445.
| Fairand ouir the feildis, Fewell to fet, | |
| And oft fylit my feit in mony foull fen. |
1494. Fabyan, Chron., VI. cxcvii. 202. He felyd the holy lyker with the fruyte of his wombe.
1523. Fitzherbert, The Boke of Husbandry, § 41. If any shepe raye or be fyled with dounge about the tayle, take a payre of sheres and clyppe it awaye, and cast dry muldes thervpon.
1611. G. Wilkins, Miseries Inforced Marr., V., in Old Plays (1825), V. 86. As not to file my hands in villain’s blood.
1721. J. Kelly, Scot. Prov., 384. You need not file the House for want of Legs to carry you to the Midding. Both spoken to them that have great big Legs.
1753. Stewart’s Trial, App. 84. Whether a piece which is laid by foul, will not, after a month’s time, file one’s finger, when put in the muzzle of it, as well as when it had been lately fired?
1792. Burns, Willie’s Wife, iv.
| Her face wad fyle the Logan-water; | |
| Sic a wife as Willie had, | |
| I wad no gie a button for her. |
1825. Southey, Tale of Paraguay, III. 44.
| No art of barbarous ornament had scarr’d | |
| And stain’d her virgin limbs, or ’filed her face. |
1888. Elworthy, W. Somerset Word-bk., File, to defile.
fig. 1607. Tourneur, Rev. Trag., II. Wks. 1878, II. 64.
| Dut. He calld his Father villaine and me strumpet | |
| A word that I abhorre to file my lips with. |
1606. Bryskett, Civ. Life, 78. He will not vouchsafe himselfe to file his hands vpon so base and vicious a person as those be.
b. Proverbs.
a. 1250. Owl & Night., 99.
| Dahet habbe that ilke best, | |
| That fuleth his owe nest. |
1568. Jacob & Esau, II. iii., in Hazl., Dodsley, II. 216.
| This proverb in Esau may be understand: | |
| Claw a churl by the tail, and he will file your hand. |
1823. Galt, Entail, II. xx. 190. It’s a foul bird that files its ain nest.
† c. intr. for refl. To become soiled. Obs.
1565. Calfhill, Answ. Treat. Crosse (1846), 132. Now are there twenty-six years since that his garments never filed; nor his shoes for these twenty-five years ever waxed old.
† d. absol. Also intr., to void excrement. Obs.
1560. Becon, New Catech., Wks. (1844), 62. If the owls, sparrows, doves, or any other fowls or beasts file upon their [i.e., the images] heads, they perceive it not, neither are they angry at the matter.
1611. G. Wilkins, Miseries Inforced Marr., III., in Old Plays (1825), V. 40. Oaths are necessary for nothing, they pass out of a man’s mouth, like smoak through a chimney, that files all the way it goes.
† 2. trans. To taint with disease, infect Obs.
1456. Sc. Acts James II. (1814), § 6. And not lat þame pas away fra þe place … to fyle þe cuntre about thame.
3. To render morally foul or polluted; to destroy the ideal purity of; to corrupt, taint, sully; = DEFILE v.1 3. Obs. exc. arch:
[c. 1175. Cott. Hom., 205. Ich habbe i-suneged ine mete, and ine drunche boðe, and mid flesches fulðe ifuled me.]
c. 1200. Ormin, 1959.
| Þatt nan ne shollde filedd ben | |
| Wiþþ hæþenndom þurrh macche. |
c. 1290. S. Eng. Leg., I. 287/314.
| Alle þo … þat his ordre fnylden ouȝt | |
| with grete richesse wordles feo. |
a. 1340. Hampole, Psalter, Prol. To confourme men þat ere filyd in adam til crist in newnes of lyf.
1435. Misyn, Mending of Life, 129. No man filys hym-self with wardly bisynes after þat he truly has ioyd in lufe euerlastyng.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, IV. Proloug, 104. Is that trew luif, guid faith and fame to fyle?
1605. Shaks., Macb., III. i. 65.
| For Banquo’s Issue haue I fil’d my Minde, | |
| For them, the gracious Duncan haue I murther’d. |
1816. Byron, Ch. Har., III. cxiii.
| I stood | |
| Among them, but not of them; in a shroud | |
| Of thoughts which were not their thoughts, and still could, | |
| Had I not filed my mind, which thus itself subdued. |
1860. Trollope, Framley P., 539. Why had he thus filed his mind and made himself a disgrace to his cloth?
† 4. To violate the chastity of, to deflower; to debauch. Obs. = DEFILE v.1 4.
a. 1400[?]. Morte Arth., 978. He has forsede hir and fylede.
c. 1460. Towneley Myst. (Surtees), 75.
| A, hyr body is grete and she with childe, | |
| For me was she never fylyd. |
15[?]. Peebles to Play, xviii. ‘Ye fyl’d me; fy, for shame!’ quoth she.
† 5. To sully the honour of, dishonour. Obs. = DEFILE v.1 6.
c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 3497.
| Tac ðu noȝt in idei min name[n], | |
| Ne swer it les to fele in gamen. |
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 8120. Euery lede will þe lacke and þi lose file.
c. 1440. Gesta Rom., xvii. 62 (Harl. MS.). He made the new lawe, & fylid not þat othir.
c. 1470. Hardyng, Chron., CCXVIII. v. They the trewce had broken and did fyle.
c. 1500. Doctr. Gd. Servaunts, 10.
| Yf thou thus truely thy mayster serue, | |
| He wyll it perceyue within a whyle, | |
| Than shalte thou haue that thou doost deserue, | |
| And a good name that none dooth fyle. |
1502. Ord. Crysten Men (W. de W., 1506), IV. xxi. 251. If he hath broken & fyled ye preuyleges of ye chyrche.
1594. Jas. VI., in Tytler, Hist. Scot. (1864), IV. 217. That so wise and provident a prince [Elizabeth], having so long and happily governed, should be so fyled and contemned by a great number of her own subjects, it is hardly to be believed.
a. 1668. D’Avenant, Siege, III. (1673), 75.
| Bert. Never! The bold Warrier that hath deserv’d | |
| Fame, whose Deeds engros’d | |
| All publick noise once feel’d [mod. ed. fil’d] his victories | |
| Are quite forgot, and he degraded from | |
| The rites of honor. |
† 6. To charge with a crime, accuse. Obs.
c. 1460. Towneley Myst. (Surtees), 273.
| Cleophas. Thise wykyd Jues trayed hym whithe gyle, | |
| To thare highe preeste within a whyle | |
| And to thare prynces thay can hym fyle. |
c. 1560. Durham Depositions (Surtees), 64. Mr. Ratlyf was in great greif that Doon shuld fyll his man Dixon for certain shepe.
1721. J. Kelly, Scot. Prov., 376. You are busy to clear your self when no Body files you. You may purge your self of Guilt when none accuses you.
1759. Fountainhall, Decisions, I. 14. If they had been permitted were ready to file, by their delation, sundry gentlewomen and others of fashion.
† b. To find guilty, condemn. Obs.
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron. (1810), 173. Þe courte opon him sat, Þe quest filed him & schent.
1525. in Pitcairn, Crim. Trials Scot., I. *131. Quhil þai had owþ maid þame quyte, or fylit þame of þe said Slauchtir.
1609. Skene, Reg. Maj., IV. 1. § 5. Gif anie man is fyled or condemned of that crime.
1637–50. Row, The History of the Kirk of Scotland (1842), 387. He was noted as if he had fylled him.
Hence † Filed ppl. a.
1483. Cath. Angl., 130/2. Filed, deturpatus.
1590. Spenser, F. Q., III. i. 62.
| Where feeling one close couched by her side, | |
| She lightly lept out of her filed bed, | |
| And to her weapon ran, in minde to gride | |
| The loathed leachour. |
1593. Q. Eliz., Boeth. (E.E.T.S.), 95. When he lookes, his fyled conscience with faulte.
