foulness

noun

foul·​ness

plural -es

1

: the quality or state of being foul: such as

a

obsolete : physical repulsiveness

the fury … with new methods tried the foulness of the infernal form to hide

—John Dryden

b

: a deposit of foul matter : filth

the floors were made of serpents encased in foulness

—R. B. Anderson

c

: moral impurity, obscenity, or vulgarity

the cheapness of his person and the foulness of his tongue

—Hamilton Basso

d

: uncleanness, pollution

a medicine … useful in … foulnesses of the blood

—George Berkeley

e

: an unfavorable state (as of weather)

2

: firedamp

Word History

Etymology

Middle English foulnesse, from Old English fūlnes, from fūl foul + -nes -ness

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