REPUTA'TION, noun [Latin reputatio.] 1. Good name; the credit, honor or character which is derived from a favorable public opinion or esteem. reputation is a valuable species of property or right, which should never be violated. With the loss of reputation a man and especially a woman, loses most of the enjoyments of life. The best evidence of reputation is a man's whole life. 2. Character by report; in a good or bad sense; as, a man has the reputation of being rich or poor, or of being a thief.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI