Libelings

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. False and defamatory statements made about someone to damage their reputation; the act of publishing such injurious claims in writing; legal actions taken in response to such defamation
2. Written or printed accusations that unjustly harm a person's character; the process of spreading damaging falsehoods through documents or media; lawsuits filed because of such damaging publications
3. Expressions or publications that wrongfully malign an individual's reputation through untrue statements; the communication of reputational harm via written words; court cases addressing harm caused by these written defamatory acts

Etymology: "Libelings" is the plural of "libeling," the American spelling of the act of publishing a libel. The word therefore takes its whole history from the root noun, "libel," which came into English from Old French "libelle." That word descends from Latin "libellus," meaning "little book," a diminutive of "liber," "book." The Latin word was ordinary enough. Roman officials and litigants used a "libellus" for a short written document, such as a petition or a formal memorandum. The sense of a written accusation developed later, as a written attack could be a formal charge or a lampoon. English adopted that sense, and it became the basis of the legal distinction between libel, which is written, and slander, which is spoken.

Synonyms: defamations, slanders, calumnies, false accusations, smears

Antonyms: praises, commendations, endorsements