DEFAME

defame, slander, smirch, asperse, denigrate, calumniate, smear, sully, besmirch

(verb) charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone; “The journalists have defamed me!”; “The article in the paper sullied my reputation”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

---

Etymology

Verb

defame (third-person singular simple present defames, present participle defaming, simple past and past participle defamed)

To disgrace; to bring into disrepute. [from 4th c.]

(now, chiefly, historical) To charge; to accuse (someone) of an offence. [from 14th c.]

To harm or diminish the reputation of; to disparage. [from 4th c.]

Synonyms

• See also defame

Noun

defame (countable and uncountable, plural defames)

(now, rare, archaic) Disgrace, dishonour. [from 14th c.]

(now, rare or nonstandard) Defamation; slander, libel. [from 15th c.]

Source: Wiktionary

---

De*fame", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Defamed; p. pr. & vb. n. Defaming.] Etym: [OE. defamen, diffamen, from F. diffamer, or OF. perh. defamer, fr. L. diffamare (cf. defamatus infamous); dis- (in this word confused with de) + fama a report. See Fame.]

1. To harm or destroy the good fame or reputation of; to disgrace; especially, to speak evil of maliciously; to dishonor by slanderous reports; to calumniate; to asperse.

2. To render infamous; to bring into disrepute. My guilt thy growing virtues did defame; My blackness blotted thy unblemish'd name. Dryden.

3. To charge; to accuse. [R.] Rebecca is . . . defamed of sorcery practiced on the person of a noble knight. Sir W. Scott.

Syn.

– To asperse; slander; calumniate; vilify. See Asperse.

De*fame", n.

Definition: Dishonor. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

---