Defamation is the act of harming someone’s reputation by spreading false statements about them.
It comes from Late Latin “defamatio,” from “defamare,” meaning “to spread reports about, disgrace,” from “de-” (down) and “fama” (reputation, fame). It literally means “to bring someone’s reputation down.”
Defamation shows how powerful words are: you can damage someone’s social life, career, or safety without ever touching them. That’s why many legal systems treat lies about people as serious offenses, not just rude behavior.
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