discredit
UK[dɪsˈkredɪt]US[dɪsˈkredɪt]
v
to harm the good reputation of a person or group; to make people stop believing in something or someone.
n
loss or lack of reputation or respect; a state of being disbelieved or distrusted.
Morpheme Breakdown
dis
credit
dis
opposite
credit
belief, trust
Etymology
The word discredit is a direct borrowing from the Italian 'discredito' or the Medieval Latin 'discreditare,' meaning "to disbelieve." It is constructed from the Latin prefix 'dis-,' which reverses or negates an action, and the root 'creditum,' derived from the verb 'credere,' meaning "to believe, trust, or entrust." Thus, the literal construction is "to remove belief or trust from." Over time, this evolved from the specific act of refusing to believe a statement to the broader modern sense of actively damaging someone's reputation or credibility, thereby causing others to stop trusting them.
Analysis
Structure: dis (opposite) + credit (belief, trust)
dis- is a Latin-origin prefix meaning "apart, away, opposite of." credit is from Latin 'creditum' (a loan, something entrusted), with the core sense of "belief, trust."
Examples
the journalist sought to discredit the corrupt official with solid evidence.
the scandal brought great discredit upon the entire institution.
his contradictory statements completely discredited his testimony.