Hypertext Webster Gateway: "smear"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Smear \Smear\ (sm[=e]r), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Smeared}
(sm[=e]rd); p. pr. & vb. n. {Smearing}.] [OE. smeren,
smerien, AS. smierwan, smyrwan, fr. smeoru fat, grease; akin
to D. smeren, OHG. smirwen, G. schmieren, Icel. smyrja to
anoint. See {Smear}, n.]
1. To overspread with anything unctuous, viscous, or
adhesive; to daub; as, to smear anything with oil. ``Smear
the sleepy grooms with blood.'' --Shak.
2. To soil in any way; to contaminate; to pollute; to stain
morally; as, to be smeared with infamy. --Shak.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Smear \Smear\, n. [OE. smere,. smeoru fat, grease; akin to D.
smeer, G. schmeer, OHG. smero, Icel. smj["o]r, Sw. & Dan.
sm["o]r butter, Goth. sma['i]r[thorn]r fatness, smarna dung;
cf. Lith. smarsas fat. Cf. {Smirch}.]
1. A fat, oily substance; oinment. --Johnson.
2. Hence, a spot made by, or as by, an unctuous or adhesive
substance; a blot or blotch; a daub; a stain.
Slow broke the morn, All damp and rolling vapor,
with no sun, But in its place a moving smear of
light. --Alexander
Smith.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
smear
n 1: slanderous defamation [syn: {vilification}, {malignment}]
2: a thin tissue or blood sample spread on a glass slide and
stained for cytologic examination and diagnosis under a
microscope [syn: {cytologic smear}, {cytosmear}]
3: a blemish made by dirt; "he had a smudge on his cheek" [syn:
{smudge}, {spot}, {blot}, {daub}, {smirch}, {slur}]
4: an act that brings discredit to the person who does it; "he
made a huge blot on his copybook" [syn: {blot}, {smirch},
{spot}, {stain}]
v 1: spread or daub over [syn: {bedaub}, {besmear}]
2: stain by smearing or daubing with a dirty substance
3: make a smudge on; soil by smudging [syn: {blur}, {smudge}, {smutch}]
4: cover (a surface) by smearing (a substance) over it; "smear
the wall with paint"; "daub the ceiling with plaster""
[syn: {daub}]
5: 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}, {slander}, {smirch}, {asperse},
{denigrate}, {calumniate}, {sully}, {besmirch}]
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