The press secretary made a point at the briefing not to address the scurrilous [ˈskɜrələs] rumors surrounding the senator.

scurrilous [ˈskɜrələs]
adj

1) Formal adjective that most often describes language that contains obscenities, abuse, or, especially, slander (诽谤)—that is, a false statement that damages a person’s reputation.
2) Scurrilous can also describe someone who uses or tends to use scurrilous language, or it can describe a person or thing as evil or vulgar.

from the Middle French word scurrile, which comes ultimately from the Latin noun scurra, meaning “buffoon” or “jester.”

English