English → Latin
“defamation” in Latin
calumniaA cunning device, trickery, artifice, sophistry, chicanery.; A pretence, evasion, subterfuge.; A misrepresentation, falscrīminātiōaccusation, complaint; calumnyobtrectātiōdetraction; disparagement
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
defamation
calumnia (false accusation): criminatio (slander; the blackening of a man’s character): obtrectatio (malicious disparaging; often in plur.).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for defamation?
- The usual Latin words for “defamation” are calumnia, crīminātiō, obtrectātiō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.