kompromat

noun

1. Compromising material, blackmail material, (real or fabricated) evidence that a person does not want revealed, dirt.

   countable, uncountable

   Many observers have commented that, with so many Russian newspapers and TV channels now controlled by oligarchs or powerful organisations, kompromat is now a regular feature in the supposedly independent press.

Where it comes from

Borrowed from Russian компрома́т (kompromát), short for компромети́рующий материа́л (komprometírujuščij materiál, “compromising material”). Soviet security service slang from the Stalin era.

Adapted from the Wiktionary entry kompromat (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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