calumny

Meanings

Noun

• A false accusation or charge brought to tarnish another's reputation or standing.
• Falsifications or misrepresentations intended to disparage or discredit another.

Verb

• To make false accusations or levy false charges against a person with the intent to tarnish that person's reputation or standing; to calumniate.

Origin

• From Late Middle English calumnīe ("false accusation, slander; (law) objection raised in bad faith"), borrowed from Old French calomnie ("slander, calumny") (modern French calomnie), or directly from its etymon Latin calumnia ("false statement, misrepresentation; false accusation, malicious charge"), perhaps related to calvor, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱelh₁- or *ḱh₂l-. The English word is a challenge.
• The verb is derived from French calomnier ("to slander"), from Late Latin calumniāre, from Latin calumpniārī, calumniārī, present active infinitive of calumnior, from calumnia (see above) + -or.