backbiting

See also: back-biting

English

Etymology 1

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

Noun

backbiting (countable and uncountable, plural backbitings)

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)

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

present participle of backbite

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