backbite

Etymology

From Middle English bakbiten, bacbiten, equivalent to back- + bite. Cognate with Icelandic bakbíta (“to backbite, vilify”).

Why this word is great

BACKBITE — [Verb] To make spiteful or defamatory statements about someone, especially when they are not present. From Middle English bakbiten, bacbiten, equivalent to back- ("behind") + bite ("to cut or wound with words"). Cognate with Icelandic bakbíta ("to backbite, vilify"). Unlike "gossip" (which can be idle or even amiable) or "criticize" (which may be earnest and open), backbite is the serpent’s tooth in the heel of trust. It is the murmured poison over teacups, the smirk exchanged in a hallway, the slow erosion of a reputation like water wearing stone—a small, cowardly violence done in shadows, proving how words can be weapons even when their target is absent.

noun

One who engages in backbiting; a backbiter.

verb

To make spiteful slanderous or defamatory statements about someone.“They beguiled the time by backbiting and intriguing against each other in a foolish kind of way.”
To attack from behind or when out of earshot with spiteful or defamatory remarks.
To speak badly of an absent individual.