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bəl 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.
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More unlibeled
is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English: little book, formal document, especially plaintiff's statement < Latin libellus, diminutive of liber book; for formation, see castellum
1250–1300; Middle English: little book, formal document, especially plaintiff's statement < Latin libellus, diminutive of liber book; for formation, see castellum
Related forms
in·ter·li·bel, verb (used with object), in·ter·li·beled, in·ter·li·bel·ing or (especially British) in·ter·li·belled, in·ter·li·bel·ling.
un·li·beled, adjective
un·li·belled, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
libel (ˈlaɪbəl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | law |
| a. the publication of defamatory matter in permanent form, as by a written or printed statement, picture, etc | |
| b. the act of publishing such matter | |
| 2. | any defamatory or unflattering representation or statement |
| 3. | ecclesiastical law a claimant's written statement of claim |
| 4. | Scots law the formal statement of a charge |
| —vb , -bels, -belling, -belled, -bels, -beling, -beled | |
| 5. | law to make or publish a defamatory statement or representation about (a person) |
| 6. | to misrepresent injuriously |
| 7. | ecclesiastical law to bring an action against (a person) in the ecclesiastical courts |
| [C13 (in the sense: written statement), hence C14 legal sense: a plaintiff's statement, via Old French from Latin libellus a little book, from liber a book] | |
| 'libeller | |
| —n | |
| 'libelist | |
| —n | |
| 'libellous | |
| —adj | |
| 'libelous | |
| —adj | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
libel
c.1300, "formal written statement," especially, in civil law, "plaintiff's statement of charges" (mid-14c.); from O.Fr. libelle (fem.), from L. libellus "a little book, petition," dim. of liber "book" (see library). Broader sense of "any published or written statement likely
to harm a person's reputation" is first attested 1630s. The verb is c.1570, from the noun. Related: Libelous; libellous.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
libel definition
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.
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Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Nearby Words
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