Defame, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Defamed; p. pr. & vb. n. Defaming.]
Etymology: [OE. defamen, diffamen, from F. diffamer, or OF. perh. defamer, fr. L. diffamare (cf. defamatus infamous); dis- (in this word confused with de) + fama a report. See Fame.]
1. To harm or destroy the good fame or reputation of; to disgrace; especially, to speak evil of maliciously; to dishonor by slanderous reports; to calumniate; to asperse.
2. To render infamous; to bring into disrepute. My guilt thy growing virtues did defame; My blackness blotted thy unblemish'd name. Dryden.
3. To charge; to accuse. [R.] Rebecca is . . . defamed of sorcery practiced on the person of a noble knight. Sir W. Scott.
Syn. -- To asperse; slander; calumniate; vilify. See Asperse.
1 other Webster entry under this spelling
Defame, n.
Dishonor. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Shades of meaning
Fernald has no entry of its own for defame; he lists it under abuse, slander.
Where he writes about it:
Defame, malign, rail at, revile, slander, vilify, and vituperate are used always in a bad sense. — from abuse
To slander a person is to utter a false and injurious report concerning him; to defame is specifically and directly to attack one's reputation; to defame by spoken words is to slander, by written words, to libel. — from slander