now-infamous

The compound adjective 'now-infamous' is a modern journalistic construction. Its first element, 'now', is a native English adverb of time with Proto-Germanic roots, establishing the temporal context of the subject's current notoriety. The second element, 'infamous', entered English via medieval Latin 'infamosus', built from the negative prefix 'in-' and the noun 'fama' (report, reputation), which itself derives from the PIE root bha- (to speak). The word's logic is transparent: it literally labels a person, event, or thing as having become, at the present time, famous for ill repute, often following a revelation or scandal.

Structure: now (adverb) + infamous (adjective) - now: From Old English 'nū', meaning 'at the present time'. It functions as an adverb modifying the following adjective. - infamous: From Latin 'in-' (not) + 'fama' (fame, reputation) + the English adjectival suffix '-ous'. It functions as the core adjective meaning 'well-known for a bad quality or deed'.