Hypertext Webster Gateway: "slander"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Slander \Slan"der\, n. [OE. sclandere, OF. esclandre, esclandle,
escandre, F. esclandre, fr. L. scandalum, Gr. ??? a snare,
stumbling block, offense, scandal; probably originally, the
spring of a trap, and akin to Skr. skand to spring, leap. See
{Scan}, and cf. {Scandal}.]
1. A false tale or report maliciously uttered, tending to
injure the reputation of another; the malicious utterance
of defamatory reports; the dissemination of malicious
tales or suggestions to the injury of another.
Whether we speak evil of a man to his face or behind
his back; the former way, indeed, seems to be the
most generous, but yet is a great fault, and that
which we call ``reviling;'' the latter is more mean
and base, and that which we properly call
``slander'', or ``Backbiting.'' --Tillotson.
[We] make the careful magistrate The mark of
slander. --B. Jonson.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Slander \Slan"der\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Slandered}; p. pr. &
vb. n. {Slandering}.]
1. To defame; to injure by maliciously uttering a false
report; to tarnish or impair the reputation of by false
tales maliciously told or propagated; to calumniate.
O, do not slander him, for he is kind. --Shak.
2. To bring discredit or shame upon by one's acts.
Tax not so bad a voice To slander music any more
than once. --Shak.
Syn: To asperse; defame; calumniate; vilify; malign; belie;
scandalize; reproach. See {Asperse}.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
slander
n 1: words falsely spoken that damage the reputation of another
2: the act of defaming [syn: {aspersion}, {calumny}, {defamation}]
v : 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" [syn: {defame}, {smirch}, {asperse}, {denigrate},
{calumniate}, {smear}, {sully}, {besmirch}]
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