Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “slander” come from?

Slander comes from Old French esclandre, from Latin scandalum, from Ancient Greek σκάνδαλον, from Proto-Indo-European skand-.

slander (English): A false or unsupported, malicious statement ,...

Definitions

  1. A false or unsupported, malicious statement ,...

Ancestry of “slander”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchesclandre—
2Ecclesiastical Latinscandalumthat on which one trips, cause of offense;...
3Ancient Greekσκάνδαλονtrap, snare; enticement, temptation; offense,...
4Proto-Indo-Europeanskand-to jump, go up; to shine, to glow; bright

Words derived from “slander”

  • slanderous
  • slandering
  • slanderer
  • slanderously
  • slandereth
  • slanderest
  • unslanderous
  • disslander
  • slanderingly
  • slandersome
  • slanderess
  • slanderousness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European skand- →