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defamation

/ˌdɛfəˈmeɪʃən/ noun

In Latin: diffāmātiō, obtrectātiō Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about defamation at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

  1. A false accusation of an offense or a malicious misrepresentation of someone's words or actions.
  2. An abusive attack on a person's character or good name.

Origin

From Old French diffamacion (French diffamation), from Latin diffāmātiō. By surface analysis, defame + -ation.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)