calumny
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calumny
- /ˈkæləmni/ US, UK
- /kəˈlʌmni/ US, UK
Where it comes from
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 also related to calvor (“to deceive”). The English word is a doublet of challenge.
The verb is derived from French calomnier (“to slander”), from Late Latin calumniāre, from Latin calumpniārī, calumniārī (“to blame unjustly, misrepresent, calumniate; (law) to accuse falsely, bring false information against”), from calumnia (see above) + -or.
noun calumnies
- A false accusation or charge brought to tarnish another's reputation or standing. He [Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk] mentioned to her [Elizabeth I of England] the rumour, which was ſpread of his marriage with the Scotch Queen [Mary, Queen of Scots]; he complained of it as a groundleſs calumny; and diſclaimed all thoughts of that kind, with many expreſſions full of contempt,
-
Falsifications or misrepresentations intended to disparage or discredit another.
Accusations of abuse were pure extortive calumny in a malicious bid to make money.
Similar: calumniousness, defamation, obloquy, traducement, vilification, aspersion, calumny, character assassination, detraction, disparagement, libel, slander
verb calumnies · calumnying · calumnied
-
To make false accusations or levy false charges against a person with the intent to tarnish that person's reputation or standing; to calumniate.
His [Dominieus Dietrich's] memory has been basely calumnied by many German historians.
Similar: assassinate, asperse, backbite, badmouth, befoul, belibel, besmirch, besmear, bewray, blacken, blame, blaze
Translations
Every language
noun false accusation or charge brought to tarnish another's reputation or standing
| Português | calúnia |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Verleumdung |
| العربية | بُهْتَان buhtān, اِفْتِرَاء iftirāʔ |
noun falsifications or misrepresentations intended to disparage or discredit another
| Español | calumnia |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 中傷 chūshō |
| 中文 | 讒言 /谗言 chányán, 唌 yán, 誹謗 /诽谤 fěibàng |
| Português | calúnia |
| Français | calomnie |
| Deutsch | Rufmord, Verleumdung |
| Italiano | calunnia |
| Ελληνικά | αγκύλι agkýli |
| Română | defaimă |
| Русский | изве́т izvét, клевета́ klevetá, наве́т navét, нагово́р nagovór, поклёп pokljóp |
| العربية | طَعْن ṭaʕn |
verb to make false accusations or levy false charges against a person with the intent to tarnish that person's reputation or standing — see also calumniate
| 中文 | 誹謗 /诽谤 fěibàng |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | verleumden |
| العربية | طَعْن ṭaʕn |
Talk about this word "calumny." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/calumny. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. calumny. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/calumny "calumny." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/calumny.Cite this
@misc{calumny_2026,
title = {calumny},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/calumny},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
