libel

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a published false statement in a lasting form, such as writing or an image, that unjustly damages a person's reputation; also the legal wrong of publishing it

   The newspaper withdrew the allegation after the subject filed a libel claim.

2. 2
   verb

   to defame someone by publishing a damaging false statement

   The court found that the article did not libel the public official.

3. 3
   noun

   historical: a written accusation, complaint, polemical tract, or formal legal pleading

   The minister answered each libel published against the new system of taxation.

From Middle English libel and Old French libelle, from Latin libellus, 'little book, petition, or written complaint,' the diminutive of liber, 'book.' The legal sense developed from a formal written pleading, while the defamatory sense arose from hostile written accusations and pamphlets.

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