---
title: backbite — Judaism dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «backbite» in the Judaism dictionary: to speak badly of someone when they are not there. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# backbite

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** they, mockeries, north wind, backbiting tongue · **What happens:** speak, not be, profane, gnash, mock, bring · **To what, where:** mockeries, backbiting, rain · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
«backbite» in the Judaism dictionary: its meaning for a pupil and its 2 examples, every sentence parsed by Mova itself — its syntax tree, a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies, and its pragmatics clause by clause. The word in the dictionary, with its sense in the lessons: [backbite in the Judaism dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/judaism/w/backbite.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
to speak badly of someone when they are not there.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:judaism:backbite:m1:1
# text = to speak badly of someone when they are not there.
1	to	to	PART	TO	_	2	mark	_	_
2	speak	speak	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	badly	badly	ADV	RB	Degree=Pos	2	advmod	_	_
4	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	someone	someone	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	2	obl	_	_
6	when	when	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	10	advmod	_	_
7	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	10	nsubj	_	_
8	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	10	cop	_	_
9	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	10	advmod	_	_
10	there	there	ADV	RB	PronType=Dem	2	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **speak** *speech: other* | to-infinitive |  |  |  |  |  | of someone; badly *property* | vn talk-37.5 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **not** **is** | present | they |  |  |  |  | there *property* | tree rules |

<!-- .note -->
One row per clause the reader finds. «not said here»: a role filled from the clause above. «roles by»: a VerbNet class and frame when one fits the verb, else the reader's rules on the tree.

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
With the profanest mockeries of backbiting they gnash at me with their teeth. (Writings PSA.35.16, JPS 1917)

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* With the profanest mockeries of backbiting they gnash at me with their teeth.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:judaism:backbite:x1:1
# text = With the profanest mockeries of backbiting they gnash at me with their teeth.
1	With	with	SCONJ	IN	_	3	mark	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	profanest	profane	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Style=Arch|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	advcl	_	_
4	mockeries	mockery	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	obj	_	_
5	of	of	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	backbiting	backbiting	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	_
7	they	they	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs	8	nsubj	_	_
8	gnash	gnash	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
9	at	at	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
10	me	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	8	obl	_	_
11	with	with	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
12	their	their	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	13	nmod:poss	_	_
13	teeth	tooth	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	8	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	8	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **profane** | present | mockeries *= mockery* *not said here* | mockeries of backbiting |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **gnash** | present | mockeries *= mockery* |  |  |  |  | at me; with mockeries's teeth | vn crane-40.3.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **mock** |  |  | backbiting |  |  |  |  | nom mockery «communication transitive»: of=patient |

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 2:* (Writings PSA.35.16, JPS 1917)

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:judaism:backbite:x1:2
# text = (Writings PSA.35.16, JPS 1917)
1	(	(	PUNCT	-LRB-	_	2	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	Writings	writing	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
3	PSA.35.16	PSA.35.16	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	5	punct	_	_
5	JPS	JPS	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	flat	_	_
6	1917	1917	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	3	flat	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	)	)	PUNCT	-RRB-	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The north wind bringeth forth rain, and a backbiting tongue an angry countenance. (Writings PRO.25.23, JPS 1917)

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* The north wind bringeth forth rain, and a backbiting tongue an angry countenance.

<!-- fold The tree, 13 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:judaism:backbite:x2:1
# text = The north wind bringeth forth rain, and a backbiting tongue an angry countenance.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	north	north	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	wind	wind	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	bringeth	bring	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Style=Arch|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	forth	forth	ADV	RB	_	6	advmod	_	_
6	rain	rain	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	14	punct	_	_
8	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	14	cc	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
10	backbiting	backbiting	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	compound	_	_
11	tongue	tongue	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	nsubj	_	_
12	an	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
13	angry	angry	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	14	amod	_	_
14	countenance	countenance	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **bring** | present | the north wind | rain |  |  |  |  | vn bring-11.3-1 «NP V NP together»: agent=Agent rain=Theme |
| 2 | **countenance** |  | a backbiting tongue |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 2:* (Writings PRO.25.23, JPS 1917)

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:judaism:backbite:x2:2
# text = (Writings PRO.25.23, JPS 1917)
1	(	(	PUNCT	-LRB-	_	2	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	Writings	writing	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	0	root	_	_
3	PRO.25.23	PRO.25.23	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	5	punct	_	_
5	JPS	JPS	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	flat	_	_
6	1917	1917	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	3	flat	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	)	)	PUNCT	-RRB-	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .note -->
The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

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**Text:** the Judaism dictionary of Mova's schools (`world/data/dictionary-schools/`), written for Mova. **Trees:** Mova's own parse — the `en` model on the CPU, when the site is built — not checked by a teacher; they may be wrong. **Frames:** Mova's frames reader (`prag`), each meaning and example read on its own. Elamur Cosmic License.

<!-- /div -->

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