English → Latin
“defamatory” in Latin
calumniōsusfull of tricks and artifices, swindlingprobrōsusshameful, ignominiousfāmōsusfamed, celebrated, noted, renowned, famous; infamous, notoriouscarmensong, tune; a composition in verse, a poem; poetry, verse, song; poem, poetry (strictly any poem or poetry that can be sēlogiumshort maxim; inscription on a tombstone, epitaph; clause in a will
The English word defamatory itself goes back to Latin fāma, through diffāmātōrius.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
defamatory
calumniosus (defaming others; late): falsas criminationes continens (containing slander): probrosus (Tac.): a defamatory poem, carmen probrosum (Tac.). A defamatory libel, libellus famosus. ☞ The libels of the ancients were mostly in verse; hence carmen probrosum (Tac.) or famosum (Hor.): carmen, quod infamiam facit nagitiumve alteri (Cic.): elogium (written on a person’s door; Plaut., Merc., 2, 3, 74): carmen refertum contumeliis alicujus (Tac.). To compose a defamatory libel against anybody, carmen probrosum facere in aliquem (after Tac., ); carmine probroso diffamare aliquem (Tac.); carmen ad infamiam alicujus edere (Suet., Oct., 55): malum in aliquem carmen condere (Hor.): to publish a defamatory libel, *carmen probrosum or famosum vulgare (all these suppose that it is in poetry): libellum ad infamiam alicujus edere (Suet., Oct., 55); aliquem scriptis procacibus diffamare.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for defamatory?
- The usual Latin words for “defamatory” are calumniōsus, probrōsus, fāmōsus; also carmen, ēlogium. 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.