anti-fouling
|an-ti-foul-ing|
/ˌæn.tiˈfaʊ.lɪŋ/
against fouling / prevents organism attachment
Etymology
'anti-fouling' originates from modern English, formed by the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti' meaning 'against') combined with 'fouling', the -ing form of the verb 'foul'.
'foul' comes from Old English 'fūl' meaning 'dirty' or 'unclean'; it passed into Middle English as 'foul' and gave rise to the noun/gerund 'fouling'. The compound 'anti-fouling' arose in modern nautical and engineering usage (20th century) to describe measures against surface fouling.
Initially 'foul' meant 'dirty' or 'unclean'; 'anti-fouling' originally meant 'against fouling/soiling' and later became specialized to refer to preventing marine organism attachment on submerged surfaces.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a coating, paint, or treatment applied to submerged surfaces to prevent biofouling (the accumulation of organisms on those surfaces).
They renewed the anti-fouling on the yacht to improve fuel efficiency.
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Adjective 1
designed to prevent the growth or attachment of organisms (such as barnacles and algae) on submerged surfaces, especially ship hulls.
The vessel was coated with an anti-fouling paint before being launched.
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Last updated: 2025/10/21 13:43