To defame, slander, or speak ill of; to damage the reputation of through false or malicious speech.
From dis- (opposite, negative) + slander. Similar prefix pattern to dissemble—the dis- intensifies or negates the base word, here creating the opposite of honorable speech.
This archaic word shows how 'slander' has been viewed as so damaging that adding 'dis-' to it creates almost a super-slander—it's like the word itself is defensive!
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