sclaundre

Middle English

Noun

sclaundre

1. slander
   • late 14th century, Geoffrey Chaucer, The Clerk's Tale, The Canterbury Tales, line 722-725:

     The sclaundre of Walter ofte and wyde spradde,
     That of a cruel herte he wikkedly,
     For he a povre womman wedded hadde,
     Hath mordred bothe his children prively.

     The ill fame of Walter spread often and wide,
     That of a cruel heart he wickedly,
     Because he had wedded a poor woman,
     Has murdered both his children secretly.

References

• “sclaundre”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.