lynchage

lynching

noun lan-SHAHZH Rare

Origin: From English 'lynching', named after Charles Lynch, a Virginia planter.

Usage Note

Lynchage refers both to the historical act of extrajudicial mob killing and, figuratively in French, to a savage public attack on someone's reputation — un lynchage médiatique ('a media lynching'). The verb is lyncher. The word is always treated seriously; its figurative use in journalism is common but contested.

Examples

"Le lynchage médiatique a détruit sa carrière."

Natural Translation

The media lynching destroyed his career.

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