n.
Pronunciation: ' fau ̇ (- ə )l
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English f ū l; akin to Old High German f ū l rotten, Latin pus pus, put ē re to stink, Greek pyon pus
Date: before 12th century
1 a : offensive to the senses : LOATHSOME b : filled or covered with offensive matter
2 : full of dirt or mud
3 a : morally or spiritually odious : DETESTABLE <a foul crime> b : notably unpleasant or distressing : WRETCHED , HORRID <in a foul mood>
4 : OBSCENE , ABUSIVE < foul language>
5 a : being wet and stormy b : obstructive to navigation <a foul tide>
6 dialect British : HOMELY , UGLY
7 a : TREACHEROUS , DISHONORABLE <fair means or foul > b : constituting an infringement of rules in a game or sport <a foul blow in boxing>
8 : containing marked-up corrections <a foul manuscript> < foul proofs>
9 : encrusted, clogged, or choked with a foreign substance <the chimney was foul and smoked badly>
10 : being odorous and impure : POLLUTED < foul air>
11 : placed in a situation that impedes physical movement : ENTANGLED
12 : being outside the foul lines in baseball
synonyms see DIRTY
– foul · ly \ ' fau ̇ (l)-l ē \ adverb
– foul · ness noun