Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Besmirch \Be*smirch"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Besmirched}; p. pr.
   & vb. n. {Besmirching}.]
   To smirch or soil; to discolor; to obscure. Hence: To
   dishonor; to sully. --Shak.