defamation by written or printed words, pictures, or in any form other than by spoken words or gestures.
the act or crime of publishing it.
a formal written declaration or statement, as one containing the allegations of a plaintiff or the grounds of a charge.
anything that is defamatory or that maliciously or damagingly misrepresents.
verb (used with object),li·beled,li·bel·ing or (especially British) li·belled,li·bel·ling.
to publish a libel against.
to misrepresent damagingly.
to institute suit against by a libel, as in an admiralty court.
Origin of libel
1250–1300; Middle English: little book, formal document, especially plaintiff's statement <Latin libellus, diminutive of liber book; for formation, see castellum
OTHER WORDS FROM libel
in·ter·li·bel,verb (used with object),in·ter·li·beled,in·ter·li·bel·ing or (especially British) in·ter·li·belled,in·ter·li·bel·ling.un·li·beled,adjectiveun·li·belled,adjective
They are convicted of cyber libel stemming from a 2012 Rappler article about a local businessman’s alleged ties to a former judge, who was later impeached for corruption, and purported links to drug and human trafficking rings.
These 10 female journalists deserve justice immediately|Brett Haensel|October 1, 2020|Fortune
A libel suit reverses the roles of plaintiff and defendant; the former must defend itself against the latter's charges.
The 'Defenders of Zionism' Lose Their Case|Gershom Gorenberg|September 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Yitzhar spokesman says the settlement 'has won a number of libel suits against media groups and the Israel Police.'
Slim Majority Of Israelis Would Support Peace Deal Referendum|Orly Halpern|July 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
According to Dershowitz, Corey called Harvard Law School and threatened to sue to the school for libel for his comments.
Who Is Angela Corey? From Being Fired to Prosecuting Zimmerman|Caroline Linton|July 15, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The bill aims to protect the IDF from libel by Israel detractors.
C13 (in the sense: written statement), hence C14 legal sense: a plaintiff's statement, via Old French from Latin libellus a little book, from liber a book
“Libel” vs. “Slander”: How To Tell The DifferenceDon't be insulted if you didn't know the difference between libel and slander. Learn when to use each word for different kinds of defamation.
A written, printed, or pictorial statement that unjustly defames someone publicly. Prosecution of libel as a punishable offense puts some measure of restriction on freedom of the press under the First Amendment (see also First Amendment).