Scandal Was Originally a Stumbling Block
A scandal is an action causing public outrage. The Greek word behind it means a trap or snare set in someone's path.
A scandal is conduct that causes public outrage. The Greek *skandalon* meant a trap or the stick that springs it — something laid in a path to trip you. Church Latin used it for anything that caused others to stumble morally, and the public-outrage sense followed.
- Conduct causing outrage. *A political scandal.*
- Gossip about it. *Spreading scandal.*
- Something outrageous. *It is a scandal that nobody checked.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | scandal | A major scandal. |
| Plural | scandals | A series of scandals. |
| Adjective | scandalous | Scandalous behaviour. |
| Verb | scandalise | Scandalised the neighbours. |
| Related | slander | A claim for slander. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The scandal forced his resignation.Public consequences.
- It is a scandal that the road is still closed.Meaning an outrage.
- The photographs scandalised readers.Shocked them.
The -gate suffix
- Watergate — the 1970s American scandal named after a building
- -gate — since attached to hundreds of scandals worldwide
- Cover-up — concealment, often worse than the original act
- Whistleblower — someone who reveals wrongdoing
- Inquiry — the usual official response
From Late Latin *scandalum*, a cause of offence, from Greek *skandalon*, a trap or snare. The English *slander* comes from the same word by a different route through French.
Are scandal and slander related?
Yes. Both descend from Latin *scandalum*. Slander arrived through Old French with the sense of a damaging report.
Why do scandals get -gate added?
From Watergate, the Washington building complex at the centre of the 1972 break-in. The suffix has been attached to scandals ever since.