libel

English

Etymology

From Middle English libel, from Old French libelle, from Latin libellus (“petition”, literally “booklet”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: līʹbəl, IPA^(key): /ˈlaɪbəl/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪbəl

Noun

libel (countable and uncountable, plural libels)

1. (countable) A written or pictorial false statement which unjustly seeks to damage someone's reputation.
   • 2002, Spider-Man:

     Peter Parker: Spider-Man wasn't trying to attack the city, he was trying to save it. That's slander.

     J. Jonah Jameson: It is not! I resent that! Slander is spoken. In print, it's libel.

2. (uncountable) The act or tort of displaying such a statement publicly.
3. (countable) Any defamatory writing; a lampoon; a satire.
4. (law, countable) A written declaration or statement by the plaintiff of their cause of action, and of the relief they seek.
   • 1873, United States Supreme Court, The Rio Grande, 86 U.S. 178,179

     These provisions of law being in force, the steamer Rio Grande, owned, as was alleged, by persons in Mexico, being in the port of Mobile, in the Southern District of Alabama, certain materialmen, on the 26th of November, 1867, filed separate libels against her in the district court for the said district.

5. (countable) A brief writing of any kind, especially a declaration, bill, certificate, request, supplication, etc.

   a libel of forsaking [divorcement]

Usage notes

In common usage, the noun and verb is particularly used where the defamatory writing meets the legal definition of libel in a particular jurisdiction.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:slander

Derived terms

• blasphemous libel
• libel tourism

Translations

defamatory false written statement

• Armenian: զրպարտություն (hy) (zrpartutʻyun)
• Bulgarian: клевета (bg) f (kleveta), донос (bg) m (donos)
• Catalan: libel (ca) m
• Czech: hanopis (cs) m
• Danish: injurie c, ærekrænkelse c, æresfornærmelse c, bagvaskelse c
• Esperanto: kalumnio
• Finnish: kirjallinen kunnianloukkaus, kirjallinen herjaus, häväistyskirjoitus
• French: calomnie (fr) f écrite, libelle (fr) m
• German: schriftliche Verleumdung (de) f
• Greek: λίβελλος m (lívellos), λιβελλογράφημα n (livellográfima)
• Portuguese: calúnia (pt) f
• Russian: клевета́ (ru) f (klevetá), диффама́ция (ru) f (diffamácija)
• Sicilian: calugna f, diffamazziuni f
• Spanish: libelo (es) m, calumnia (es) f
• Swedish: förtal (sv) n, ärekränkning (sv) c, smädeskrift (sv) c
• Tagalog: paninirang-puri

act or crime

• Armenian: զրպարտություն (hy) (zrpartutʻyun)
• Catalan: difamació (ca) f
• Czech: pomluva (cs) f
• Danish: injurie c, ærekrænkelse c, æresfornærmelse c, bagvaskelse c
• Finnish: kirjallinen kunnianloukkaus
• French: calomnie (fr) f écrite
• German: schriftliche Verleumdung (de) f
• Greek: συκοφαντική δυσφήμηση f (sykofantikí dysfímisi)
• Irish: leabhal m
• Italian: diffamazione (it) f
• Portuguese: difamação (pt) f
• Russian: клевета́ (ru) f (klevetá), диффама́ция (ru) f (diffamácija)
• Sicilian: calugna f, diffamazziuni f
• Spanish: difamación (es) f
• Swedish: förtal (sv) n, ärekränkning (sv) c
• Welsh: enllib m

statement by the plaintiff

• Finnish: kunnianloukkauskanne
• Portuguese: libelo (pt) m
• Russian: жа́лоба (ru) f (žáloba), исковое заявле́ние n (iskovoje zajavlénije)

any defamatory writing

• Bulgarian: пасквил (bg) m (paskvil)
• Danish: smædeskrift n
• Dutch: smaadschrift (nl)
• German: Schmähschrift (de)
• Greek: λιβελλογράφημα n (livellográfima), σάτιρα (el) f (sátira)
• Portuguese: difamação (pt) f, libelo (pt) m
• Russian: пасквиль (ru) m (paskvilʹ)
• Sicilian: calugna f, diffamazziuni f

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Arabic: ^{(please verify)} فِرْيَة f (firya)
• Dutch: ^{(please verify)} smaad (nl), ^{(please verify)} laster (nl)
• French: ^{(please verify)} diffamation (fr) f
• Hungarian: ^{(please verify)} rágalom (hu)
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} diffamazione (it) f
• Macedonian: ^{(please verify)} клевета f (kleveta) (written, spoken); ^{(please verify)} паскви́л m (paskvíl) (pictorial)
• Swedish: ^{(please verify)} förtal (sv) c
• Turkish: ^{(please verify)} iftira (tr), (fig.) ^{(please verify)} karalama (tr), (politics) ^{(please verify)} hakaret (tr)

Verb

libel (third-person singular simple present libels, present participle (UK) libelling or (US) libeling, simple past and past participle (UK) libelled or (US) libeled) (transitive, law)

1. To defame (someone), especially in a manner that meets the legal definition of libel.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:defame

   He libelled her when he published that.

   • 1709, Alexander Pope, “January and May; or, The Merchant’s Tale, from Chaucer”, in The Works of Mr. Alexander Pope, volume I, London: […] W[illiam] Bowyer, for Bernard Lintot, […], published 1717, →OCLC, page 203:

     But vvhat ſo pure, vvhich envious tongues vvill ſpare? / Some vvicked vvits have libell'd all the fair.

2. To proceed against (goods, a ship, etc.) by filing a legal claim.

Derived terms

Terms derived from the noun or verb libel

• blood libel
• libelant
• libel chill
• libelee
• libeler
• libelist
• libelous

Translations

to defame someone

• Bulgarian: клеветя (bg) (klevetja), злепоставям (bg) (zlepostavjam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 讒謗 / 谗谤 (zh) (chánbàng)

• Czech: pomluvit (cs)
• Danish: bagtale, bagvaske
• Finnish: loukata jonkun kunniaa kirjallisesti
• Galician: difamar (gl)
• German: (schriftlich) verleumden
• Greek:

  Ancient Greek: διαβάλλω (diabállō)

• Hungarian: rágalmaz (hu)
• Macedonian: клевети f (kleveti), наклевети f (nakleveti)
• Romanian: defăima (ro)
• Russian: клевета́ть (ru) impf (klevetátʹ), наклевета́ть (ru) pf (naklevetátʹ), оклеветать (ru) impf (oklevetatʹ), дискредитировать (ru) impf or pf (diskreditirovatʹ), позорить (ru) impf (pozoritʹ), опозорить (ru) pf (opozoritʹ)
• Slovak: ohovoriť pf
• Spanish: libelar
• Swedish: förtala (sv), ärekränka, smutskasta (sv)
• Turkish: hakaret etmek (tr), iftira etmek (tr), (somebody) karalamak (tr)

See also

• defamation
• defame
• slander

Anagrams

• Belli, I'll be, Ibell, Liebl

Aragonese

Noun

libel m

1. Superseded spelling of livel.

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /liˈbɛl/
• Hyphenation: li‧bel
• Rhymes: -ɛl

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Latin libella or libellula.

Noun

libel f (plural libellen, diminutive libelletje n)

1. dragonfly, insect of the infraorder Anisoptera
2. dragonfly or damselfly, insect of the order Odonata

Alternative forms

• libelle

Hyponyms

• (insect of the order Odonata): beekjuffer, breedscheenjuffer, pantserjuffer, waterjuffer, winterjuffer

Descendants

• → Lokono: bibiri

Etymology 2

From Latin libellus, diminutive of liber (“book”).

Noun

libel n (plural libellen, diminutive libelletje n)

1. booklet, notably a libel (defamatory writing)

Synonyms

• schotschrift
• smaadschrift

Etymology 3

Borrowed from Latin libella.

Noun

libel f (plural libellen, diminutive libelletje n)

1. a vial of a level

References

• M. J. Koenen & J. Endepols, Verklarend Handwoordenboek der Nederlandse Taal (tevens Vreemde-woordentolk), Groningen, Wolters-Noordhoff, 1969 (26th edition) [Dutch dictionary in Dutch]

Middle English

Alternative forms

• lybel

Etymology

Ultimately from Latin libellus (“little book”).

Noun

libel

1. Any short and formal written text
   1. (law) A litigant's statement of complaint, or list of charges
      • 1387–1400, Geoffrey Chaucer, “The Freres Tale”, in The Canterbury Tales, [Westminster: William Caxton, published 1478], →OCLC; republished in [William Thynne], editor, The Workes of Geffray Chaucer Newlye Printed, […], [London]: […] [Richard Grafton for] Iohn Reynes […], 1542, →OCLC, folio xliiii, verso, column 1:

        I haue ȹ he, of ſommõs of the here a byl / Up payne of curſyng loke that thou be / To moꝛowe befoꝛe our Archdeacons kne [...] Now loꝛde ȹ ſhe, Jeſu kyng of kynges / So wiſely helpe me, as I ne may [...] May I nat aſke a lybel ſyꝛ Sompnour / And anſwere there by my pꝛoctour / To ſuche thyng as men wolde appoſen me?

        I have (he said) a bill of summons here: / On pain of excommunication make sure that you appear / Tomorrow morning at the archdeacon's knee [...] Now Lord (she said) Jesus king of kings / Help me, as I cannot [...] Could I ask for a copy of the charges, sir summoner, / And have my proctor appear for me / For whatever it is that I am accused of?

   2. Any written formal complaint, particularly in marital conflicts
      • c. 1382–1395, John Wycliffe [et al.], edited by Josiah Forshall and Frederic Madden, The Holy Bible, […], volume IV, Oxford: At the University Press, published 1850, →OCLC, Matthew V:31–32, page 12:

        And it hath be seyd, Who euere leeueth his wijf, ȝyue he to hir a libel of forsakying. But Y seie to ȝou, that euery man that leeueth his wijf, outtakun cause of fornycacion, makith hir to do letcherie, and he that weddith the forsaken wijf, doith auowtrye.

        [ KJV ] It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.

   3. A treatise; a division of a larger work.