infamies

Infamy is the state of being known for a discreditable act or status, and infamies refers to multiple instances or categories of such stigma. The term derives from the Latin infamia, meaning disrepute, shame, or loss of reputation. In legal and historical contexts, infamy has sometimes carried formal significance, beyond mere shame.

Historically, some legal systems treated infamy as a formal status that could affect a person’s civil rights or public standing. In ancient Rome, infamia signified a recognized stigma that could restrict certain privileges, such as testimony in court or eligibility for specific offices, with the exact scope varying by time and jurisdiction. Similar notions appeared in medieval and early modern Europe, where certain professions or behaviors were deemed dishonorable and could place an individual outside the usual social and legal order. Infamy could influence marriage, inheritance, or political participation, depending on the legal framework.

In contemporary usage, infamy is less often a formal legal category and more a descriptor of enduring notoriety or moral condemnation. It remains a literary and historical term used to discuss how societies have branded particular groups or acts as especially blameworthy. The plural infamies is typically employed in analysis or discussion to reference several instances or types of this stigma, rather than to denote a uniform, current legal status.

Overall, infamies capture how reputational harms can be codified or culturally reinforced across different ages and legal systems, even as the legal gravity of the concept has diminished in most modern jurisdictions.