The state or process of becoming foul, dirty, or contaminated.
From 'befoul' plus '-ment' suffix (Latin '-mentum'), creating an abstract noun describing the condition or result of befouling. Follows the standard pattern for creating nouns from verbs.
Just like 'befoolement' and 'befoulment' both exist, showing how productive the '-ment' suffix is—yet these abstract nouns are so rarely used that many people wouldn't recognize them, showing the gap between what English CAN form and what it actually USES.
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