besmirch

English

WOTD – 3 June 2007

Etymology

From Middle English besmorchen (attested in besmorchid), equivalent to be- +‎ smirch. Compare Middle English bismotered (“bespattered, soiled”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /bɪˈsmɜːtʃ/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /bɪˈsmɝːt͡ʃ/

• Audio (US):

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• Audio (General Australian):

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• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)tʃ

Verb

besmirch (third-person singular simple present besmirches, present participle besmirching, simple past and past participle besmirched)

1. (transitive, literary) To make dirty.

   Synonym: soil

2. (transitive) To tarnish something, especially someone's reputation.

   Synonyms: debase, smear, slander, libel, blacken

   Antonym: unbesmirch

   The newspaper was on a campaign to besmirch the actor.

Derived terms

• besmircher
• besmirchment
• unbesmirch
• unbesmirchable
• unbesmirched

 

Translations

make dirty

Bulgarian: мърся (bg) (mǎrsja), омърсявам (bg) (omǎrsjavam) Catalan: embrutar (ca) Chinese: Mandarin: 弄髒／弄脏 (zh) (nòngzāng) Dutch: besmeuren (nl) Finnish: liata (fi) French: salir (fr) Galician: ensuciar (gl) German: beschmutzen (de), beschmieren (de) Greek: λερώνω (el) (leróno) Hungarian: bemocskol (hu) Italian: sporcare (it), insudiciare (it), lordare (it), insozzare (it), smerdare (it) Norwegian: Bokmål: tilskitne Portuguese: sujar (pt) Romanian: spurca (ro) Russian: па́чкать (ru) impf (páčkatʹ), испа́чкать (ru) pf (ispáčkatʹ), загрязня́ть (ru) impf (zagrjaznjátʹ) Slovak: špiniť, pošpiniť Spanish: ensuciar (es) Ukrainian: бруднити (uk) (brudnyty), замазувати (zamazuvaty)

tarnish; debase

Bulgarian: петня (bg) (petnja), черня (bg) (černja) Chinese: Mandarin: 浼污 (měiwū), 污漫 (wūmàn) Dutch: bekladden (nl), bezoedelen (nl) Finnish: liata (fi) French: salir (fr), avilir (fr) Galician: difamar (gl) German: beschmutzen (de), besudeln (de), in Verruf bringen Greek: σπιλώνω (el) (spilóno) Ancient Greek: προσπηλακίζω (prospēlakízō) Hungarian: gyaláz (hu) Italian: denigrare (it), macchiare (it), insudiciare (it), lordare (it) Norwegian: Bokmål: besudle, tilskitne Portuguese: conspurcar (pt), macular (pt), deslustrar Romanian: spurca (ro) Russian: пятна́ть (ru) impf (pjatnátʹ), запятна́ть (ru) pf (zapjatnátʹ), черни́ть (ru) impf (černítʹ) Slovak: očierniť, očierňovať, pošpiniť, špiniť, znevážiť, znevažovať Spanish: manchar (es), mancillar (es), macular (es), enlodar (es), empañar (es) Swedish: befläcka (sv) Ukrainian: чорни́ти (čornýty), ганьби́ти (hanʹbýty), плямува́ти (pljamuváty), зневажа́ти (uk) (znevažáty)

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