backbiting

See also: back-biting

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English bakbitynge, bacbiting, bacbitung, equivalent to backbite +‎ -ing.

Noun

backbiting (countable and uncountable, plural backbitings)

1. The action of slandering a person without that person's knowledge.
   • 1303, Robert Manning of Brune, Handlyng synne:

     No custummable bakbytyng God....

   • 1862, Anthony Trollope, Orley Farm:

     Not given to backbiting.

Translations

the act of slandering a person without that person's knowledge

• Arabic: غِيبَة f (ḡība)
• Azerbaijani: qeybət (az)
• Bengali: গীবত (gībôt)
• Irish: fodhord m
• Italian: maldicenza (it) f, sussurrio m, diceria (it) f, ciarla (it) f
• Malagasy: fifosana (mg)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Persian: دشتیاد (doštyâd), غیبت (fa)
• Russian: гыйба (gyjba), сплетни (ru) pl (spletni)
• Turkish: gıybet (tr)
• Urdu: غیبت

Etymology 2

From Middle English bakbytynge, equivalent to backbite +‎ -ing.

Adjective

backbiting (comparative more backbiting, superlative most backbiting)

1. Slanderous or speaking badly, especially of a person without that person's knowledge.
   • 1580, Thomas Tusser, A hundreth good pointes of husbandrie:

     Backbiting talk that flattering blabs know wily how to blenge.

   • 1873, Rhoda Broughton, Nancy:

     Am I to have a backbiting wife?

Verb

backbiting

1. present participle of backbite