term:

Slander

slander vt

: to utter slander against
slan·der·er n

n [Anglo-French esclandre, from Old French escandle esclandre scandal, from Late Latin scandalum moral stumbling block, disgrace, from Greek skandalon, literally, snare, trap]
1 : defamation of a person by unprivileged oral communication made to a third party
;also
: defamatory oral statements
2 : the tort of oral defamation [sued his former employer for ] compare defamation, false light, libel NOTE: An action for slander may be brought without alleging and proving special damages if the statements in question have a plainly harmful character, as by imputing to the plaintiff criminal guilt, serious sexual misconduct, or conduct or a characteristic affecting his or her business or profession.
slan·der·ous [slan-də-rəs]
adj

slan·der·ous·ly adv

slan·der·ous·ness n

Source: Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law ©1996. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. Published under license with Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.