Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “backbiting” come from?

Backbiting derives from Middle English bakbiten, meaning to speak ill of someone behind their back.

backbiting (English): The action of slandering a person without that...

Definitions

  1. The action of slandering a person without that...

Ancestry of “backbiting”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishbakbitynge—

Words derived from “backbiting”

  • backbitingly
Every word from Middle English bakbitynge →