Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

calumny

/ˈkæləmni/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.97 in modern English

Syllables
ca-lum-ny
IPA
/ˈkæləmni/
14
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A false accusation or charge brought to tarnish another's reputation or standing.

Countable

verb

To make false accusations or levy false charges against a person with the intent to tarnish that person's reputation or standing; to calumniate.

Formal; Transitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Late Middle English calumnīe (“false accusation, slander; (law) objection raised in bad faith”), borrowed from Old French calomnie (“slander, calumny”) (modern French calomnie), or directly from its etymon Latin calumnia (“false statement, misrepresentation; false accusation, malicious charge”), perhaps also related to calvor (“to deceive”). The English word is a doublet of challenge. The verb is derived from French calomnier (“to slander”), from Late Latin calumniāre, from Latin calumpniārī, calumniārī (“to blame unjustly, misrepresent, calumniate; (law) to accuse falsely, bring false information against”), from calumnia (see above) + -or.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *ḱelh₁-, calumnīe, calomnie, calumnia, calomnier, calumniāre

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈkæləmni/
  • British English: /ˈkæləmni/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Synonyms

Questions

How do you pronounce calumny?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈkæləmni/.
What does calumny mean?
A false accusation or charge brought to tarnish another's reputation or standing.
Where does calumny come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce calumny

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “calumny”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈkæləmni/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “calumny”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “calumny” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.