backbiter
noun
No English definition recorded for this entry.
L316620 on Wikidata ↗Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈbæk.baɪt.ə(ɹ)/ / /ˈbæk.baɪt.ɚ/ / [ˈbæk.baɪɾ.ɚ]
noun
Etymology: From Middle English bakbitere, bakbytere, bacbitere, equivalent to backbite + -er.
- A person who says nasty things about another person behind the second person's back: that is, out of their sight and hearing.
“[…] here were no Gibers, Cenſurers, Backbiters, Pick-pockets, Highwaymen, Houſebreakers, Attorneys, Bawds, Buffoons, Gameſters, Politicians, Wits, ſplenetick tedious Talkers, Controvertiſts, Raviſhers, Murderers, Robbers, Virtuoſo's; […]”
“She better not hear none of them old backbiters talking about her husband!”