What is meant by slander?

Slander refers specifically to the act of making false and damaging oral statements about someone that can harm their reputation. This form of defamation occurs when spoken words are used to damage someone's character or good standing in the community. For example, if an individual makes an untrue and derogatory remark about another person in a conversation, that could constitute slander if it causes harm to the latter's reputation.

To clarify the context of the other options: written defamation, as described in the first choice, is known as libel, which is different from slander since it involves printed or published statements rather than spoken ones. The concepts in the third and fourth choices do not pertain directly to defamation; false imprisonment pertains to unlawfully restricting someone's freedom, while privacy invasion relates to unauthorized intrusion into a person’s private life, not necessarily linked to defamation. Thus, the essence of slander is captured accurately in the correct answer regarding damaging oral statements.