Word of the Day：December 16, 2020

vilify

诋毁；诽谤；污蔑；中伤

verb VIL-uh-fye

Definition

1 ： to utter slanderous and abusive statements against ： defame

具有诽谤性话语和侮辱性言语的攻击：污蔑

2 ： to lower in estimation or importance

使评价降低或是使影响力下降

Examples

"The gentleman next door had been vilified by Nicholas; rudely stigmatised as a dotard and an idiot; and for these attacks upon his understanding, Mrs. Nickleby was, in some sort, accountable." — Charles Dickens, Nicholas Nickleby, 1839

“隔壁的绅士受到了尼古拉斯的侮辱；无礼地被辱骂为老糊涂，一个白痴的人；尼克勒比夫人对他的言语进行了批评，在某种意义上是负责的。

"In a written statement, Oakland-based lawyer Elliot Silver said Peterson's attorneys are trying to 'vilify' Richelle Nice in the media as a 'rogue juror out on a mission' in their bid to get Peterson’s 2005 murder conviction overturned." — Angela Ruggiero, The San Jose Mercury News, 26 Oct. 2020

“奥克兰的律师埃利奥特·西尔弗（Elliot Silver）在书面声明中说，彼得森的律师试图在媒体上“诽谤”里切尔·尼斯，作为“流氓陪审团”，以推翻彼得森2005年的谋杀罪。

Did You Know?

Vilify came to English by way of the Middle English vilifien and the Late Latin vilificare, from the Latin adjective vilis, meaning "cheap" or "vile." It first appeared in English in the 15th century. Also debuting during that time was another verb that derives from vilis and has a similar meaning: vilipend. When they were first used in English, both vilify and vilipend meant to regard someone or something as being of little worth or importance. Vilipend now carries an additional meaning of "to express a low opinion of somebody," while vilify means, more specifically, to express such an opinion publicly in a way that intends to embarrass a person or ruin his or her reputation.

Vilify通过中古英语vilifien和晚期拉丁语vilificare得来的，也来自拉丁语形容词vilis，意思是“cheap『便宜』”或“vile『卑鄙』”。它于15世纪首次以英语出现。在此期间也首次出现的还有另一个衍生自vilis的动词，其含义类似：vilipend。当初次使用英语时，vilify 和 vilipend 都意味着将某人或某事视为没有任何价值或影响力。现在，Vilipend具有“to express a low opinion of somebody『表达某人的低级言语』”的附加含义，而“vilify”则更多的是一种令人尴尬或以破坏其声誉的公开表达。

Name That Synonym

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