foul

== English == === Alternative forms === foule (obsolete) === Pronunciation === enPR: foul, IPA(key): /faʊl/ Rhymes: -aʊl Homophone: fowl Rhymes: -aʊəl === Etymology 1 === Inherited from Middle English foul, from Old English fūl (“foul, dirty, unclean, impure, vile, corrupt, rotten, stinking, guilty”), from Proto-West Germanic *fūl, from Proto-Germanic *fūlaz (“foul, rotten”), from Proto-Indo-European *puH- (“to rot”). Cognate with Dutch vuil (“foul, dirty, filthy, obscene, lewd”), German faul (“foul, rotten, putrid, lazy”), German Low German fuul (“foul, rotten, putrid”), Faroese fúlur (“foul”), Icelandic fúll (“foul, rotten, sullen”), Danish ful (“nasty, ugly”), Norwegian Bokmål ful (“clever, sly”), and Swedish ful (“ugly, dirty, bad”), and through Indo-European, with Albanian fëlliq (“to make dirty”), Latin puter (“rotten”). More at putrid. Ancient Greek φαῦλος (phaûlos, “bad”) is a false cognate inasmuch as it is not from the same etymon, instead being cognate to few. ==== Adjective ==== foul (comparative fouler, superlative foulest) Covered with, or containing unclean matter; dirty. (of words or a way of speaking) Obscene, vulgar or abusive. Detestable, unpleasant, loathsome. Disgusting, repulsive; causing disgust. Synonyms: rank, frightful (obsolete) Ugly; homely; poor. Unpleasant, stormy or rainy. (of the weather) Dishonest or not conforming to the established rules and customs of a game, conflict, test, etc. (nautical) Entangled and therefore restricting free movement, not clear. (technical) (with "of") Positioned on, in, or near enough to (a specified area) so as to obstruct it. 2015, Transportation Safety Board of Canada, Railway Investigation Report R13T0192[1]: The bus had stopped just foul of the north track at the Erindale Station Road public railway crossing […] With the bus stationary, but still foul of the north track, the train struck one of its front mirrors. (baseball) Outside of the base lines; in foul territory. ===== Synonyms ===== (hateful, detestable): shameful; odious; wretched; frightful. ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Collocations ===== ===== Translations ===== === Etymology 2 === Inherited from Middle English foulen, fulen, from Old English fūlian (“to become foul; rot; decay”), from Proto-West Germanic *fūlēn, from Proto-Germanic *fūlāną (“to rot; decay”). ==== Verb ==== foul (third-person singular simple present fouls, present participle fouling, simple past and past participle fouled) (transitive) To make dirty. Synonyms: befoul, dirty, besmirch; see also Thesaurus:dirty (transitive) To besmirch. Synonyms: denigrate, diss, traduce; see also Thesaurus:defame (transitive, intransitive) To obstruct, block, or otherwise interfere with (something), for example by clogging (a drain, gun barrel, chimney, etc) or by being in the way of (a gunshot, etc). Synonyms: choke, clog, impede; see also Thesaurus:obstruct 2020, Yoon Ha Lee, Phoenix Extravagant, start of chapter 21: “You were lucky the shot was fouled,” said a dispassionate voice. (transitive, nautical) To entangle. Synonyms: ensnare, snarl; see also Thesaurus:tangle (transitive, basketball, soccer) To make make a play, such as a strong contact with an opposing player in order to gain advantage, that is deemed by the referee to have contravened the rules. (intransitive, basketball, soccer) To commit a foul. (transitive, baseball) To hit outside of the baselines. (intransitive, baseball) To hit a ball outside of the baselines. (intransitive) To become clogged. (intransitive) To become entangled. To come into contact or collide with. ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Translations ===== ==== Noun ==== foul (plural fouls) (sports) A breach of the rules of a game, especially one involving inappropriate contact with an opposing player in order to gain an advantage; for example, tripping someone up in soccer, or contact of any kind in basketball. (bowling) A (usually accidental) contact between a bowler and the lane before the bowler has released the ball. (baseball) A foul ball, a ball which has been hit outside of the base lines. ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Descendants ===== → Cantonese: foul → Polish: faul → Romanian: fault → Russian: фол (fol) → Turkish: faul ===== Translations ===== === See also === foul fish === Further reading === “foul”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC. William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “foul”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC. “foul”, in OneLook Dictionary Search. === Anagrams === fluo- == Chinese == === Alternative forms === 否 === Etymology === Borrowed from English foul. === Pronunciation === === Verb === foul (Hong Kong Cantonese, usually sports) to disqualify due to a foul (breach of rules of the game) or a violation (Hong Kong Cantonese, by extension) to eliminate 被foul出局 [Hong Kong Cantonese] ― bei6 fau1 ceot1 guk6 [Jyutping] ― to be eliminated (in a competition, etc.) (Hong Kong Cantonese) to reject (an idea or a proposal) ==== Synonyms ==== (to disqualify): DQ (to reject): ban === References === English Loanwords in Hong Kong Cantonese == German == === Pronunciation === === Verb === foul singular imperative of foulen (colloquial) first-person singular present of foulen == Middle English == === Etymology 1 === Inherited from Old English fugol, from Proto-West Germanic *fugl, from Proto-Germanic *fuglaz. ==== Alternative forms ==== fouel, fowel, fowele, fowl foȝel, fuȝel, fuhel (Early Middle English) voȝel (Kent); feul, fewl, fewle, ffewyll, foghel, foughel, foyhel (Yorkshire) ==== Pronunciation ==== IPA(key): /ˈfuː(ə)l/ IPA(key): /ˈfyːɣəl/, /fyːl/ (Lancashire, Yorkshire) IPA(key): /ˈfuɣəl/ (Early Middle English) ==== Noun ==== foul (plural foules or foul) A bird (especially if wild or kept for food) (rare, figurative) A flying insect. ===== Declension ===== ===== Related terms ===== foulen foulere ===== Descendants ===== English: fowlKrio: fɔlSranan Tongo: fowru Middle Scots: foul, fowle Scots: fowl Yola: fowlès (plural) ===== References ===== “fǒul, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007. === Etymology 2 === Inherited from Old English fūl, from Proto-West Germanic *fūl, from Proto-Germanic *fūlaz, from Proto-Indo-European *puH- (“to rot”). ==== Alternative forms ==== ffoul, foull, fowel, fuyle ful, vul (mainly Early Middle English); ffoule, foule, fowl, fowle, foyll (Late Middle English) voul (Kent, Southwest Midland) ==== Pronunciation ==== IPA(key): /fuːl/ IPA(key): /vuːl/ (Kent, Southwest Midland) ==== Adjective ==== foul (plural and weak singular foule, comparative foulere, superlative foulest) Revolting, unclean: Dirty, mucky, filthy. Rotting, decaying, purulent. Poisonous, noxious; harmful to health (especially of smells) (rare) Religiously prohibited. Unpleasant, harsh, grating: Unattractive, ugly, unsightly. Uncouth, obscene, rude. Shameful, disgraceful, base. (of weather) Stormy, rough. Evil, immoral, depraved. Miserable, feeble, useless. ===== Derived terms ===== defoul defoulen foulhede ===== Related terms ===== foule foulen foully foulnesse ===== Descendants ===== English: foul Middle Scots: foull, fowle Scots: foul ===== References ===== “fǒul, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007. === Etymology 3 === ==== Adverb ==== foul alternative form of foule (“foully”) === Etymology 4 === ==== Noun ==== foul alternative form of fole (“fool”)