aspersion

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The Word of the Day for August 29 is:

aspersion   \uh-SPER-zhun\   noun
      1 : a sprinkling with water especially in religious 
ceremonies
      2 *a : a false or misleading charge meant to harm 
someone's reputation  b : the act of making such a charge : 
defamation

Example sentence:
      "I defy all the world to cast a just aspersion on my 
character: nay, the most scandalous tongues have never dared 
censure my reputation." (Henry Fielding, _Tom Jones_)

Did you know?
      "No sweet aspersion shall the heavens let fall / To make 
this contract grow." In this line from Shakespeare's _The 
Tempest_, "aspersion" literally refers to a sprinkling of rain, 
but figuratively means "blessing." Shakespeare's use is true to 
the heritage of the term. "Aspersion" comes from the Latin 
word "aspersus," itself a derivative of the verb "aspergere," 
which means "to sprinkle" or "to scatter." When "aspersion" 
first appeared in English in the 16th century, it referred to 
the type of sprinklings (for instance, of holy water) that occur 
in religious ceremonies. But English speakers noted that 
splatterings can soil and stain, and by 1596 "aspersion" was 
also being used for reports that stain or tarnish a reputation.

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.