Filthen

verb

verb ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To cover with filth; besmut; besmirch; make filthy. nonstandard, rare, transitive

    "Rock oil was considered, then, a local nuisance, a malodorous black gunk that floated like a rumor down the creek, filthening whatever it touched: a farmer's overalls, a cow's hide, a child's shoes."

Example

More examples

"Rock oil was considered, then, a local nuisance, a malodorous black gunk that floated like a rumor down the creek, filthening whatever it touched: a farmer's overalls, a cow's hide, a child's shoes."

Etymology

From filth + -en, modelled after healthen, strengthen, lengthen, etc.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.