smear

smear
I. noun Etymology: Middle English smere, from Old English smeoru; akin to Old High German smero grease and probably to Old Irish smiur marrow Date: before 12th century 1. a. a viscous or sticky substance b. a spot made by or as if by an unctuous or adhesive substance 2. material smeared on a surface (as of a microscopic slide); also a preparation made by smearing material on a surface <
a vaginal smear
>
3. a usually unsubstantiated charge or accusation against a person or organization — often used attributively <
a smear campaign
>
<
a smear job
>
II. transitive verb Date: before 12th century 1. a. to overspread with something unctuous, viscous, or adhesive ; daub <
smeared the paper with glue
>
b. to spread over a surface 2. a. to stain, smudge, or dirty by or as if by smearing b. sully, besmirch; specifically to vilify especially by secretly and maliciously spreading grave charges and imputations 3. to obliterate, obscure, blur, blend, wipe out, or defeat by or as if by smearing • smearer noun

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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  • Smear — (senkrechter, weißer Strich unter der Lichtquelle) Als Smear oder auch Smear Effekt bezeichnet man bei digitalen Kameras weiße Streifen im Bild, die bei besonders hellen Lichtquellen im Bildbereich auftreten. Wenn die Lichtquelle eine… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • smear — [smɪə ǁ smɪr] noun [countable] an attempt to harm someone by spreading untrue stories about them: • Was this just another political smear? • The media had launched a smear campaign against him. smear verb [transitive] : • Republicans were trying… …   Financial and business terms

  • smear´er — smear «smihr», verb, noun, adjective. –v.t. 1. to cover or stain with anything sticky, grease or dirty: »She smeared her fingers with jam. 2. to rub or spread (oil, grease, or paint): »to smear paint on one s hands. 3. to rub or wipe (a brush,… …   Useful english dictionary

  • smear|y — «SMIHR ee», adjective, smear|i|er, smear|i|est. 1. marked by a smear or smears; smeared. 2. tending to smear. –smear´i|ness …   Useful english dictionary

  • Smear — (sm[=e]r), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Smeared} (sm[=e]rd); p. pr. & vb. n. {Smearing}.] [OE. smeren, smerien, AS. smierwan, smyrwan, fr. smeoru fat, grease; akin to D. smeren, OHG. smirwen, G. schmieren, Icel. smyrja to anoint. See {Smear}, n.] 1. To… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • smear — [smir] vt. [ME smerien < OE smerian, to anoint, akin to Ger schmieren < IE base * smeru , grease > OIr smir, marrow & (prob.) L medulla, marrow] 1. to cover, daub, or soil with something greasy, sticky, or dirty 2. to apply or daub… …   English World dictionary

  • Smear — Smear, n. [OE. smere,. smeoru fat, grease; akin to D. smeer, G. schmeer, OHG. smero, Icel. smj[ o]r, Sw. & Dan. sm[ o]r butter, Goth. sma[ i]r[thorn]r fatness, smarna dung; cf. Lith. smarsas fat. Cf. {Smirch}.] 1. A fat, oily substance; oinment.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • smear — sb., en, smear, ene (undersøgelse af celler fra fx livmoderhalsen), i sms. smear , fx smearprøve …   Dansk ordbog

  • smear — (v.) O.E. smerian to anoint or rub with grease, oil, etc., from P.Gmc. *smerthan (Cf. O.N. smyrva, Dan. smère, Swed. smörja, Du. smeren, O.H.G. smirwen, Ger. schmieren to smear ), from PIE *smeru grease (Cf. Gk. myron …   Etymology dictionary

  • smear — [v1] rub on, spread over apply, bedaub, besmirch, blur, coat, cover, dab, daub, defile, dirty, discolor, overlay, overspread, patch, plaster, slop, smudge, soil, spatter, spray, sprinkle, stain, sully, taint, tar, tarnish; concepts 172,202,215… …   New thesaurus

  • smear — smear. См. мазок. (Источник: «Англо русский толковый словарь генетических терминов». Арефьев В.А., Лисовенко Л.А., Москва: Изд во ВНИРО, 1995 г.) …   Молекулярная биология и генетика. Толковый словарь.

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