Scandal

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈskændəl/

Definitions

1. A controversial event or action that generates public outrage and harms the reputation of individuals or organizations
2. An incident that provokes shock or disapproval among the general public due to immoral or illegal behavior
3. A circumstance or action widely regarded as improper or offensive, leading to damage of social standing

Etymology: The Greek word "skándalon" originally meant a trap laid for an enemy, or the bait-stick that snapped a trap shut, and from there came to mean a stumbling block: something that tripped a person up morally. Early Christian writers used the Latin form "scandalum" for anything that led believers into sin, so a scandal was first a moral pitfall rather than a public uproar. The sense of shame and disgrace that dominates the word today seems to have grown up partly by accident. Several older Germanic words for ignominy and disgrace, such as Old English "scand," sounded so similar that they likely pulled the meaning toward shame. The word reached English by way of Old French, and it entered the language in a form close to "slander," which is a doublet of it: the two words split apart from the same source but took different routes.

Synonyms: outrage, controversy, disgrace, shame, infamy

Antonyms: honor, integrity, respect, virtue, reputation