Slander

Etymology

From Old French “esclandre,” from Latin “scandalum” (a cause of offense or stumbling), from Greek “skandalon” (a trap or snare). That makes “slander” a doublet of “scandal” — the same ancient word, one branch hardened into a legal wrong, the other into juicy public disgrace.

noun · /SLAN-dur/
Defamation spoken aloud rather than recorded — a false statement said to others that harms someone’s reputation.
What it names
The spoken, in-the-moment version of a reputation-damaging lie — reach for it for gossip, speeches, and remarks, not posts or print.
Example
Her boss’s remark to the team that she had been fired for stealing was slander — spoken, false, and overheard.
Related idea
Both are forms of defamation, split only by medium: slander is spoken and ephemeral, libel is written or published and permanent.