Meaning

noun a false accusation of an offense or a malicious misrepresentation of someone's words or actions

noun an abusive attack on a person's character or good name

originFrom 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…

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0