Traduce, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Traduced; p. pr. & vb. n. Traducing.]
Etymology: [L. traducere, traductum, to lead across, lead along, exhibit as a spectacle, disgrace, transfer, derive; trans across, over + ducere to lead: cf. F. traduire to transfer, translate, arraign, fr. L. traducere. See Duke.]
1. To transfer; to transmit; to hand down; as, to traduce mental qualities to one's descendants. [Obs.] Glanvill.
2. To translate from one language to another; as, to traduce and compose works. [Obs.] Golden Boke.
3. To increase or distribute by propagation. [Obs.] From these only the race of perfect animals were propagated and traduced over the earth. Sir M. Hale.
4. To draw away; to seduce. [Obs.] I can forget the weakness Of the traduced soldiers. Beau. & Fl.
3 more senses
5. To represent; to exhibit; to display; to expose; to make an example of. [Obs.] Bacon.
6. To expose to contempt or shame; to represent as blamable; to calumniate; to vilify; to defame. The best stratagem that Satan hath . . . is by traducing the form and manner of them [prayers], to bring them into contempt. Hooker. He had the baseness . . . to traduce me in libel. Dryden.
Syn. -- To calumniate; vilify; defame; disparage; detract; depreciate; decry; slander.
Shades of meaning
Fernald has no entry of its own for traduce; he lists it under slander.
Where he writes about it:
To asperse is, as it were, to bespatter with injurious charges; to malign is to circulate studied and malicious attacks upon character; to traduce is to exhibit one's real or assumed traits in an odious light; to revile or vilify is to attack with vile abuse. — from slander