backbites
|back-bites|
/ˈbækbaɪt/
(backbite)
speaking unfavorably
Etymology
'backbite' originates from English, formed from the compound of 'back' and 'bite', where 'back' meant 'the rear' or 'behind' and 'bite' meant 'to bite' (used figuratively to mean 'to injure or attack verbally').
'backbite' appears in Middle English in compound forms such as 'bakbiten' or 'bacbiten' and developed into modern English 'backbite' by combining the elements 'back' + 'bite'.
Initially it carried a more literal sense related to 'biting at the back', but over time it evolved into the figurative sense 'to slander or speak maliciously of someone who is absent', which is its current common meaning.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
plural form of 'backbite' (noun): acts or instances of speaking ill of someone behind their back; gossiping or slanderous remarks made in someone's absence.
Gossip and backbites are common in that office.
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Verb 1
third-person singular present of 'backbite': to say unpleasant or malicious things about someone who is not present (to speak ill of someone behind their back).
She backbites her coworkers behind their backs.
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Last updated: 2025/12/25 14:50