Infamy, ( or infamous) describes a person or organization considered to have said or done something that provokes public outrage, or is considered blameworthy and so deserving of

punishment Punishment, commonly, is the imposition of an undesirable or unpleasant outcome upon a group or individual, meted out by an authority—in contexts ranging from child discipline to criminal law—as a response and deterrent to a particular acti ...

even if no sanction is actually applied.

Etymology

The word stems from the Latin '' infamia'', It derives from the

Negation In logic, negation, also called the logical complement, is an operation that takes a proposition P to another proposition "not P", written \neg P, \mathord P or \overline. It is interpreted intuitively as being true when P is false, and false ...

in + fame which implies public acclaim for doing something that pleases the public. The Proto-Indo-European root of that word is ''*bhā-'' meaning to tell (as in blab or megaphone)

Roman law

In Roman law, it took the form of a censure on individuals pronounced by a competent authority in the state, which censure was the result either of certain actions which they had committed or of certain modes of life which they had pursued. Such a censure involved disqualification for certain rights both in public and in private law.

In canon law

Infamy is a term of art in Roman Catholic canon law. According to the '' Catholic Encyclopedia'' of 1913, infamy in the canonical sense is defined as the privation or lessening of one's good name as the result of the bad rating he has, even among prudent men. It constitutes an irregularity, a canonical impediment that prevents one being ordained or exercising such orders as he may have already received. There are two types of infamy: infamy of law (''infamia juris'') and infamy of fact (''infamia facti'').{{cite Catholic Encyclopedia , wstitle=Infamy , volume=8 , first=Joseph Francis , last=Delany

Infamy of law

''Infamy of law'' is contracted in one of three ways. Either the law itself attaches this juridical ineligibility and incapacity to the commission of certain crimes, or makes it contingent upon the decision of a judge, or finally connects it with the penalty imposed by the judge. This kind of infamy is incurred chiefly by those guilty of

duelling A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon rules. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the rapier and lat ...

(whether as principals or seconds), rape (as likewise those who co-operate in it), attempt to marry during the lifetime of the actual consort, heresy, real

simony Simony () is the act of selling church offices and roles or sacred things. It is named after Simon Magus, who is described in the Acts of the Apostles as having offered two disciples of Jesus payment in exchange for their empowering him to imp ...

, etc. Infamy of law may be removed either by canonical purging or by application to the Holy See.

Infamy of fact

''Infamy of fact'' is the result of a widespread opinion, by which the community attributes some unusually serious delinquency, such as adultery or the like, to a person. This is more of an unfitness than an irregularity properly so called, unless sentence in court has been pronounced. It ceases therefore when one has shown by a change of life extending over a period of two or probably three years that his repentance is sincere. A crime consisting in acts which society not only forbids but also considers as highly immoral and particularly dishonoring, as defined (variously) in certain legal systems, as in Poland; in its origin, in Ancient Rome, ''infamia'' was the mark of disapproval of the censors on moral grounds - often such 'legal immorality' is largely defined according to the state - or de facto dominant religion. In the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth infamy (infamia) was a more severe form of

exile Exile is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons and peoples suf ...

sentence. A noble who has been sentenced to infamy, known as ''infamis'', lost the protection of the law and there was a reward for his death (this was similar to the common law concept of outlawry). In addition, a banished noble (''banita'') who killed an infamed one could expect his exile sentence to be revoked.

References

Reputation management