Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To make false or malicious statements about (someone) in order to cause humiliation or disgrace. synonym: malign.
  • transitive verb To fail to uphold; disregard or violate.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To pass along; transmit.
  • To transfer; translate; arrange under another form.
  • To hold up; exhibit; expose; represent.
  • To misrepresent; hold up or expose to ridicule or calumny; defame; calumniate; vilify.
  • To draw aside from duty; lead astray; sednce.
  • Synonyms Defame, Calumniate, etc. See asperse.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb obsolete To transfer; to transmit; to hand down.
  • transitive verb obsolete To translate from one language to another.
  • transitive verb obsolete To increase or distribute by propagation.
  • transitive verb obsolete To draw away; to seduce.
  • transitive verb obsolete To represent; to exhibit; to display; to expose; to make an example of.
  • transitive verb To expose to contempt or shame; to represent as blamable; to calumniate; to vilify; to defame.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb transitive To malign a person or entity by making malicious and false or defamatory statements.
  • verb archaic, transitive To pass on (to one's children, future generations etc.); to transmit.
  • verb archaic, transitive To pass into another form of expression; to rephrase, to translate.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb speak unfavorably about

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin trādūcere, to lead as a spectacle, dishonor : trā-, trāns-, trans- + dūcere, to lead; see deuk- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin trādūcō ("lead as a spectacle, dishonor"), from trāns + dūcō ("I lead").

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Examples

  • PostLocal ahora traduce nuestras Tweets en español.

    PostLocal Tweets en español James Buck 2011

  • Esto, se traduce en puntos separados que traen significativos problemas en el transporte y distribución de los recursos y espacio urbanos.

    Sustainable Design Update » Blog Archive » Vertical Farm - Stackable Highrise - Mexico City 2009

  • It fuels the putrid political climate we live in and the non-stop attempts since presidential election night 2008 to traduce and destroy the Obama presidency.

    Martin Lewis: Murdoch Most Foul Martin Lewis 2011

  • You realize of course that from here on in the same flaccids you excoriate will now call you a liar as they lie about you, call you a coward as they hide behind their ridiculous pseudonyms, and traduce you as a neocon, a Zionist, a warmonger and an idiot?

    Archive 2009-03-01 2009

  • It fuels the putrid political climate we live in and the non-stop attempts since presidential election night 2008 to traduce and destroy the Obama presidency.

    Martin Lewis: Murdoch Most Foul Martin Lewis 2011

  • It was, for example, the stock phrase used by the Brown political briefing team to traduce David Miliband's Guardian article in early August.

    Archive 2008-09-01 2008

  • The pope's visit to Britain has been the perfect excuse for many commentators to traduce secularism

    Societies without God are more benevolent 2010

  • If you don´t know speek it and you like some recipes, I traduce for you.

    Blueberry-Brown Sugar Plain Cake 2008

  • There was a guy, William Henry, who wrote this book then called In Defense of Elitism, and thought it was kind of reactionary in some ways (some over-the-top language designed to provoke and traduce), I thought it was pretty bracing and mostly correct.

    Liberals and religion and culture 2010

  • It was, for example, the stock phrase used by the Brown political briefing team to traduce David Miliband's Guardian article in early August.

    Charles Clarke condemns Just William politics 2008

Comments

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  • We have pride, envy, rivalship, and a thousand motives to depreciate each other; but the male slanderer must have the cowardice of a woman before he can traduce one.

    Sheridan, School for Scandal

    January 6, 2008

  • Traduce, in Italian, is the 3rd person singular of the present tense of tradurre, "to translate".

    "What does your wife do?"

    "She traduces Italian politicians' speeches for the EU".

    October 23, 2009

  • Excellent!

    October 23, 2009

  • What is that famous Italian (I think it's Italian) saying that goes something like "the translator is a traitor" or "translation is betrayal"? I bet you know it, Pro.

    October 23, 2009

  • Probably arises from the visuality similarity between verbs tradurre to translate and tradire to betray.

    October 23, 2009

  • Rolig: Can't believe I just saw this. It's tradurre è un po' tradire (to translate is a bit like to betray).

    April 28, 2010