backbite

Definition

To make spiteful slanderous or defamatory statements about someone.

Etymology

From Middle English bakbiten, bacbiten, equivalent to back- + bite. Cognate with Icelandic bakbíta (“to backbite, vilify”).

Example Sentences

• "They beguiled the time by backbiting and intriguing against each other in a foolish kind of way."
• "Gumshoe: You're not gonna get me to backbite a woman with a whip. No way."