Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “libel” come from?

Libel comes from Old French libelle, from Latin libellus, a diminutive of liber meaning book, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European lewbʰ- meaning to peel or strip.

libel (English): A written or pictorial false statement which...

Definitions

  1. A written or pictorial false statement which...

Ancestry of “libel”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishlibel—
2Old Frenchlibelle—
3Latinlibellusa little book, booklet, pamphlet; a billet,...
4LatinLīber—
5Old Latinloeber—
6Frenchloberto lob
7Frenchloblob
8EnglishlobTo throw or hit a ball into the air in a high...
9EnglishlongHaving much distance from one terminating point...
10EnglishlongitudeAngular distance measured west or east of the...
11Old Frenchlongitude—
12Latinlongitūdō—
13Latinlongusfar, long; extended, prolonged; long; tedious,...
14Latin-ē—
15Latindis-asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;...
16Latincalceusshoe
17Latincalxlimestone; chalk; the finish line
18Ancient Greekχάλιξsmall stone, pebble; gravel, rubble

Words derived from “libel”

  • libelous
  • libeller
  • McLibel
  • libeler
  • libelously
  • libelee
  • libellist
  • libelist
  • libelleth
  • antilibel
  • belibel
Every word from Ancient Greek χάλιξ →