Libel

Libel

Noun / Verb · /ˈlaɪ.bəl/

Definition

(Noun) a published false statement that damages a person's reputation; the act of making such a statement in written or other permanent form; (Verb) to make a libellous statement about someone; (in Scots law and historical usage) a formal charge or complaint.

Origin

From Old French libelle (a little book, a complaint), from Latin libellus (a little book), diminutive of liber (a book, the inner bark of a tree on which one wrote). A libel was originally any written document — a pamphlet, a complaint, or a statement. The defamation sense developed because libellous pamphlets were the primary vehicle for published reputation attacks.