Libel

Etymology

From Latin “libellus,” a diminutive of “liber” (book) — so, literally, “a little book.” In medieval law a “libel” was any short written document, then narrowed to a written accusation, and finally to the defamatory kind. The reputation-wrecking sense is a small book gone bad.

noun · /LY-buhl/
Defamation in a fixed, published form — writing, print, or online — that falsely damages someone’s reputation.
What it names
A reputation-harming lie that leaves a permanent record — reach for it for anything defamatory that is written, posted, or broadcast rather than merely said.
Example
A viral tweet falsely accusing him of fraud became the basis of a libel suit.
Related idea
The pair to keep straight: libel is defamation in a lasting recorded form, while slander is the fleeting spoken kind — the permanence is exactly why the law tends to treat libel more harshly.