Foul
/faʊl/noun
Offensive to the senses; unpleasant or disgusting.
Did you know?In Middle English, 'foul' was used not only to describe physical unpleasantness but also moral decay, linking it to sin and corruption.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bʰeu̯l-
“to swell, to be blown, to be full, implying a sense of corruption or impurity.”
Old English
Old English
fūl
“stinking, filthy, or impure, associated with decay and moral corruption.”
Middle English
Middle English
foul
“physically or morally offensive, a term used for both dirtiness and wickedness.”
Modern English
English
foul
“to describe anything unpleasant or morally wrong, maintaining its dual nature of physical and moral offense.”