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de·fame

(dĭ-fām)

tr.v. de·famed, de·fam·ing, de·fames

1. To damage the reputation, character, or good name of (someone) by slander or libel. See Synonyms at malign.

2. Archaic To disgrace.

[Middle English defamen, from Old French defamer, from Medieval Latin dēfāmāre, alteration of Latin diffāmāre, to spread news of, slander : dis-, abroad, apart; see DIS- + fāma, rumor, reputation; see bhā-² in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

de·famer n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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