English Explanatory Dictionary

smirch

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Dirt, or a stain.
  2. A stain on somebody's reputation.
verb
  1. To dirty; to make dirty.
  2. To harm the reputation of; to smear or slander.
noun
  1. A chirp of radiation power from an astronomical body that has a smeared appearance on its plot in the time-frequency plane (usually associated with massive bodies orbiting supermassive black holes)

Pronunciation

/smɜː(ɹ)t͡ʃ/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-smirch.wav

Word forms

smirch smirches smurch smerch smirching smirched

Etymology

From Middle English *smorchen ("to spatter, soil"; attested in besmorchid (“bespattered, soiled all over”)), of uncertain origin. Perhaps a derivative of Middle English smeoren, smuren, smeren (“to smear”) or related to Middle English smotry (“sooty, grimy”). Compare also Middle English bismotered (“bespattered, soiled”), Old French esmorcher (“to torture”), Middle English smoterly, smoterlich (“besmirched”), modern English smut.

Synonyms

besmirch file soil assoil beclart bedaub bedirty imbrue (especially with blood) bedizen befile befilth befoul begrime beray beshit besmear besully bewray blacken blot blur clat contaminate darken defile dirten dirty elt foil foul gunk gunk up inquinate scunge sling mud slotter slur smear smirch smudge smut smutch soss sowl spot stain sullow sully tarnish uggle libel muddy abase bring down to size cut down to size debase defame degrade demean demote

Derived words

smirchless besmirch unsmirched
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