besmirch

English

WOTD – 3 June 2007

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• 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.

   • 1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):

     Our gayness and our gilt are all besmirch'd
     With rainy marching in the painful field

   • 1850, Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter, a Romance, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor, Reed, and Fields, →OCLC:

     "It may be," he replied, "because I will not encounter the dishonor that besmirches the husband of a faithless woman. […] "

   • 1928, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle:

     Sir Guy might still have slain him without besmirching his knightly honor

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

• Ottoman Turkish: چامورلامق (çamurlamak)
• 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)
• Thai: ป้ายสี (th) (bpâai-sǐi)
• Ukrainian: чорни́ти (čornýty), ганьби́ти (hanʹbýty), плямува́ти (pljamuváty), зневажа́ти (uk) (znevažáty)

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