Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Popular Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

libelling

 - 5 dictionary results

li⋅bel

  [lahy-buhl] noun, verb, -beled, -bel⋅ing or (especially British) -belled, -bel⋅ling.
Use libelling in a Sentence
–noun
1. Law.
a. defamation by written or printed words, pictures, or in any form other than by spoken words or gestures.
b. the act or crime of publishing it.
c. a formal written declaration or statement, as one containing the allegations of a plaintiff or the grounds of a charge.
2. anything that is defamatory or that maliciously or damagingly misrepresents.
–verb (used with object)
3. to publish a libel against.
4. to misrepresent damagingly.
5. to institute suit against by a libel, as in an admiralty court.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME: little book, formal document, esp. plaintiff's statement < L libellus, dim. of liber book; for formation, see castellum
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To libelling
li·bel   (lī'bəl)   
n.  

    1. A false publication, as in writing, print, signs, or pictures, that damages a person's reputation.

    2. The act of presenting such material to the public.

  2. The written claims presented by a plaintiff in an action at admiralty law or to an ecclesiastical court.

tr.v.   li·beled or li·belled, li·bel·ing or li·bel·ling, li·bels
To publish a libel about (a person). See Synonyms at malign.

[Middle English, litigant's written complaint, from Old French, from Latin libellus, diminutive of liber, book.]
li'bel·er, li'bel·ist n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Cultural Dictionary

libel

A written, printed, or pictorial statement that unjustly defames someone publicly. Prosecution of libel as a punishable offense puts some measure of restriction on freedom of the press under the First Amendment.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

libel 
1297, "formal written statement," especially, in civil law, "plaintiff's statement of charges" (1340); from O.Fr. libelle (fem.), from L. libellus "a little book, petition," dim. of liber "book." Broader sense of "any published or written statement likely to harm a person's reputation" is first attested 1631. The verb is 1570, from the noun.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: libel
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: -beled also -belled; -bel·ing also -bel·ling
1 : to make or publish a libel against : to hurt the reputation of by libel libeled by statements in a full-page advertisement —New York Times Company v. Sullivan, 376 U.S. 254 (1964)>
2 : to proceed against in law by filing a libel (as against a ship or goods) libeled in Boston —J. K. Owens>
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see libelling on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way