1500-1600Latinscurrilis, from scurra ‘stupid person’
Examples
EXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
A mixture of technical facts and utterly scurrilous gossip and dirt if it relates to the cars.
An old tale tells of a holy priest who visited his nephew, a scurrilous tavern-keeper.
As a result, Judas must be seen as something very different from the scurrilous villain of popular tradition.
Delighted we darted off to Niel to report this scurrilous comment.
From that time, his anti-Semitism grew so shrill and scurrilous that its virulence still makes one wince.
Intense negotiation followed, then shortly afterwards legal threats from Harvard, culminating in a bizarre series of scurrilous allegations and counter-allegations.
My scurrilous expectations were fired up by a headline on a handout from the Commission.
Spanning several generations of schools and styles, her own recollections are a fascinating mix of knowledgeable anecdote and scurrilous gossip.
Collocations
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES►a scurrilous rumour
formal (=a damaging and false rumour)· Journalists spread scurrilous rumours about the school.
scurrilous remarks, articles etc contain damaging and untrue statements about someone → slanderous: a scurrilous attack on his integrity—scurrilously adverb