backbiting

backbiting

See also: back-biting

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English bacbiting, bacbitung, equivalent to backbite +‎ -ing.

Noun

backbiting (countable and uncountable, plural backbitings)

1. The action of slandering a person without that person's knowledge.
   • 1303, Robert Manning of Brune, Handlyng synne

     No custummable bakbytyng God....

   • 1862, Anthony Trollope, Orley Farm

     Not given to backbiting.

Translations

the act of slandering a person without that person's knowledge

Arabic: غِيبَة‎ f (ḡība) Azerbaijani: qeybət (az) Irish: fodhord m Italian: maldicenza (it) f, sussurrio m, diceria (it) f, ciarla (it) f Malagasy: fifosana (mg)

Persian: دشتیاد‎ (doštyâd), غیبت‎ (fa) Russian: гыйба (gyjba) Turkish: gıybet (tr) Urdu: غیبت‎

Etymology 2

From backbite.

Adjective

backbiting (comparative more backbiting, superlative most backbiting)

1. Slandering or speaking badly of a person without that person's knowledge.
   • 1580, Thomas Tusser, A hundreth good pointes of husbandrie

     Backbiting talk that flattering blabs know wily how to blenge.

   • 1873, Rhoda Broughton, Nancy

     Am I to have a backbiting wife?

Verb

backbiting

1. present participle of backbite