libel vs slander

libel

noun
  • A written or pictorial false statement which unjustly seeks to damage someone's reputation. 

  • The act or tort of displaying such a statement publicly. 

  • Any defamatory writing; a lampoon; a satire. 

  • A written declaration or statement by the plaintiff of their cause of action, and of the relief they seek. 

  • A brief writing of any kind, especially a declaration, bill, certificate, request, supplication, etc. 

verb
  • To proceed against (goods, a ship, etc.) by filing a libel claim. 

  • To defame (someone), especially in a manner that meets the legal definition of libel. 

slander

noun
  • A false or unsupported, malicious statement (spoken, not written), especially one which is injurious to a person's reputation; the making of such a statement. 

  • A collection of humorous videos intended to poke fun at a certain group of people, such as a community or nation 

verb
  • To utter a slanderous statement about; baselessly speak ill of. 

  • To poke fun at a certain group of people 

How often have the words libel and slander occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )