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calumniate

[kuh-luhm-nee-eyt]
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verb (used with object), ca·lum·ni·at·ed, ca·lum·ni·at·ing.
  1. to make false and malicious statements about; slander.
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Origin of calumniate

1545–55; < Latin calumniātus (past participle of calumniārī to accuse falsely, trick), equivalent to calumni(a) calumny + -ātus -ate1
Related formsca·lum·ni·a·tion, nounca·lum·ni·a·tor, nounnon·ca·lum·ni·at·ing, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

murderer, spy, terrorist, competitor, rival, guerrilla, agent, detractor, bandit, foe, villain, traitor, rebel, opposition, invader, criminal, adversary, antagonist, opponent, prosecutor

Examples from the Web for calumniator

Historical Examples

  • Acting in the capacity of calumniator, he seeks out and defames the innocent.

    Is the Devil a Myth?

    C. F. Wimberly

  • The calumniator, Martin Gonzalez, was punished where he had most sinned.

    The Cid Campeador

    Antonio de Trueba

  • An honest drunkard is better than a calumniator of the dead.

  • But I denounce him as a calumniator of my country; a maligner of this nation.

  • The preacher was denounced as seditious, and as a calumniator of light and reason.

    The Jesuits, 1534-1921

    Thomas J. Campbell

British Dictionary definitions for calumniator

calumniate

verb
  1. (tr) to slander
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Derived Formscalumniable, adjectivecalumniation, nouncalumniator, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for calumniator

n.

1690s, from Latin calumniator, agent noun from calumniari (see calumniate (v.)).

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calumniate

v.

1550s, from Latin calumniatus, past participle of calumniari "to accuse falsely," from calumnia "slander, false accusation" (see calumny). Related: Calumniated; calumniating.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper