traduce Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. verb speak unfavorably about
    malign; badmouth; drag through the mud.
    • She badmouths her husband everywhere

WordNet

Tra*duce" transitive verb
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.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Traduced ; present participle & verbal noun Traducing
Definitions
  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.
  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.

Webster 1913