besmirch

English

WOTD – 3 June 2007

Etymology

From be- +‎ smirch.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bɪˈsmɜːtʃ/
• IPA^(key): /bɪˈsmɝːtʃ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Audio (AU):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɜː(r)tʃ

Verb

1. (transitive, literary) To make dirty; to soil.
2. (transitive) To tarnish something, especially someone's reputation; to debase.

   The newspaper was on a campaign to besmirch the actor.

Related terms

• besmirchment

Translations

make dirty

• Bulgarian: мърся (bg) (mǎrsja), омърсявам (bg) (omǎrsjavam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 弄髒／弄脏 (zh) (nòngzāng), 弄脏 (zh) (nòngzāng)

• Dutch: besmeuren (nl)
• Finnish: liata (fi)
• French: salir (fr)
• Galician: ensuciar
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: beschmutzen (de)
• Greek: λερώνω (el) (leróno)
• Hungarian: bemocskol (hu)
• Italian: sporcare (it), insudiciare (it), lordare (it), insozzare (it), smerdare (it)
• Portuguese: sujar (pt)
• Romanian: spurca (ro)
• Russian: па́чкать (ru) impf (páčkatʹ), испа́чкать (ru) pf (ispáčkatʹ), загрязня́ть (ru) impf (zagrjaznjátʹ)
• Slovak: špiniť, pošpiniť

tarnish; debase

• Bulgarian: петня (bg) (petnja), черня (bg) (černja)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 浼污 (měiwū), 污漫 (zh) (wūmàn)

• Dutch: bekladden (nl), bezoedelen (nl)
• Finnish: liata (fi)
• French: salir (fr), avilir (fr)
• Galician: difamar (gl)
• German: beschmutzen (de)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Greek: σπιλώνω (el) (spilóno)

  Ancient Greek: προσπηλακίζω (prospēlakízō)

• Hungarian: gyaláz (hu)
• Italian: denigrare (it), macchiare (it), insudiciare (it), lordare (it)
• 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)

Anagrams

• Schembri