the act of defaming; false or unjustified injury of the good reputation of another, as by slander or libel; calumny: She sued the magazine for defamation of character.
Origin: 1275–1325;Middle English; replacing (by analogy with defame) Middle Englishdiffamacioun < Medieval Latindiffāmātiōn- (stem of diffāmātiō), equivalent to Latindiffāmāt(us) (past participle of diffāmāre; see defame) + -iōn--ion