Made something unclean or soiled, or damaged someone's reputation or honor.
From 'dirty' (Middle English 'drit' from Old Norse 'drit' meaning excrement, combined with the suffix '-y' and then '-ed' for past tense). Originally literal, it extended to moral meanings by the 14th century.
Notice how our language uses physical disgust metaphors for moral wrongs—'dirty deeds,' 'filthy lies,' 'stained reputation'—this suggests that humans might process ethical violations the same way our brains process actual contamination, which is why 'dirtying' someone's name feels so visceral.
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