scandal

Meaning

Noun

1. An incident or event that disgraces or damages the reputation of the persons or organization involved.
2. Damage to one's reputation.
3. Widespread moral outrage, indignation, as over an offence to decency.
4. A word or deed, lacking in rectitude in some manner, which is an occasion of the spiritual ruin of another.
5. Defamatory talk; gossip, slander.
6. (colloquial) amateur or homemade pornography; (informal) commotion.

Verb

1. (obsolete) To to defame; to slander.
2. (obsolete) To scandalize; to offend.

Synonyms

outrage

slander

backbiting

shame

disgrace

commotion

malicious gossip

gossip

calumny

rumour

dishonor

dirt

malignant gossip

offense

row

rumor

grievance

hearsay

ill-repute

defamation

aspersion

offence

notoriety

disrepute

reproach

graft case

stigma

stink

stir

stumbing-block

stumbling-block

trouble

uproar

vice

violation

bad example

bad taste

strange rumor

strange rumour

deplorable event

bribery case

crime

rough house

bad rumour

adventure

illreport

affair

bad news

blame

brawl

buzz

case

censure

contempt

eclat

event

fuss

guilt

guilty

imputation

incident

infamy

love affair

obloquy

plot

rag

railing

rumors

rumpus

sin

spot

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈskændəl/

Etymology

Cognate with Latin: scandō

Cognate with Old French: esclandre

Cognate with Old English: scand

Cognate with Old High German: scanda

Cognate with Gothic: 𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌰

In summary

From Middle French scandale (“indignation caused by misconduct or defamatory speech”), from Ecclesiastical Latin scandalum (“that on which one trips, cause of offense”, literally “stumbling block”), from Ancient Greek σκάνδαλον (skándalon, “a trap laid for an enemy, a cause of moral stumbling”), from Proto-Indo-European *skand- (“to jump”). Cognate with Latin scandō (“to climb”). First attested from Old Northern French escandle, but the modern word is a reborrowing. Doublet, via Old French esclandre, of slander.
Sense evolution from "cause of stumbling, that which causes one to sin, stumbling block" to "discredit to reputation, that which brings shame, thing of disgrace" is possibly due to early influence from other similar sounding words for infamy and disgrace (compare Old English scand (“ignominity, scandal, disgraceful thing”), Old High German scanda (“ignominy, disgrace”), Gothic 𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌰 (skanda, “shame, disgrace”)). See shand, shend, shonda.