soilure


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soil·ure

 (soil′yər)
n.
1. Soiling or the condition of being soiled.
2. A blot, stain, or smudge.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

soilure

(ˈsɔɪljə)
n
1. the act of soiling or the state of being soiled
2. a stain or blot
[C13: from Old French soilleure, from soillier to soil2]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

soil•ure

(ˈsɔɪl yər)

n.
a soiling or stain.
[1250–1300; < Old French soilleure, derivative of soill(ier) (see soil2)]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.soilure - the act of soiling something
change of state - the act of changing something into something different in essential characteristics
spotting, staining, maculation - the act of spotting or staining something
contamination, pollution - the act of contaminating or polluting; including (either intentionally or accidentally) unwanted substances or factors
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
References in classic literature ?
Go to, and make your profit where ye will, Silver of Sardis change for gold of Ind; Ye will not purchase this man's burial, Not though the winged ministers of Zeus Should bear him in their talons to his throne; Not e'en in awe of prodigy so dire Would I permit his burial, for I know No human soilure can assail the gods; This too I know, Teiresias, dire's the fall Of craft and cunning when it tries to gloss Foul treachery with fair words for filthy gain.
The central protagonist Margaret begins the novel as an innocent seventeen year old whom nature has endowed with 'a purity of mind to which the soilure of everyday life simply could not cling'.
There, "children learn to walk on frozen toes," he writes, and "Joy shivers in the corner where she knits." But the whole sketch is set in scare quotes: "Passion is here a soilure of the wits, / We're told" (emphasis mine).