smirch
noun
- a dirty mark or smear; a stain; a smudge; also, that which smirches or dirties
- a blot on someone's character; a flaw
verb
- to make dirty, stained, or discolored : sully
- to smear with something that stains or dirties
- to bring discredit or disgrace on
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /smɜː(ɹ)t͡ʃ/
noun
Etymology: Blend of smear + chirp.
- A chirp of radiation power from an astronomical body that has a smeared appearance on its plot in the time-frequency plane (usually associated with massive bodies orbiting supermassive black holes)
“The strain h(t) produced by a smirch in LISA is given by h(t) = −-A(t)cos[(t) + φ(t)]”
“By observing a smirch, LISA offers a unique opportunity to directly map the spacetime geometry around the central object and test whether or not this structure is in accordance with the expectations of general realtivity.”
verb
Etymology: From Middle English *smorchen ("to spatter, soil"; attested in besmorchid (“bespattered, soiled all over”)), of uncertain origin. Perhaps a derivative of Middle English smeoren, smuren, smeren (“to smear”) or related to Middle English smotry (“sooty, grimy”). Compare also Middle English bismotered (“bespattered, soiled”), Old French esmorcher (“to torture”), Middle English smoterly, smoterlich (“besmirched”), modern English smut.
- To dirty; to make dirty.
“CELIA. I'll put myself in poor and mean attire, / And with a kind of umber smirch my face; / The like do you; so shall we pass along, / And never stir assailants.”
“Girls thought that by leaping over the fires without being smirched they made sure of a happy marriage.”
- To harm the reputation of; to smear or slander.