gossip
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈɡɒsɪp/
ipa: /ˈɡɑsəp/
Forms: form: gossips
Etymology: From Middle English godsybbe, godsib (“a close friend or relation, a confidant; a godparent”), from Old English godsibb (“godparent, sponsor”), equivalent to god + sib. Doublet of godsib. For sense evolution to "gossip, discussing others' personal affairs," compare French commérage.
Senses: examples: text: Be careful what you say to him: he’s a bit of a gossip.
text: A losing Gamester, who is obliged to drive into the City to dispose of a little South Sea Stock, gives the Hint there. The Gossips at Garraway’s have it in a Moment: At One it is buzz’d on Change, and the circulating Whisper in the Boxes interrupts the Play at Night.
ref: 1752, Arthur Murphy, The Gray’s Inn Journal, volume 1, number 11, page 73:
text: He was an arrant old gossip, too; for ever coming off in his canoe to the ships in the bay, and regaling their crews with choice little morsels of court scandal […]
ref: 1846, Herman Melville, “Sequel Containing the Story of Toby”, in Typee:
text: Alf could tell you about everybody on both sides of Main Street. He was a vicious male gossip, insatiably curious and vindictive without malice.
ref: 1952, John Steinbeck, chapter 48, in East of Eden, London: Heinemann, page 456:
synonyms: word: busybody
word: gossipmonger
word: meddler
word: rumormonger
word: carrytale
word: blab
word: blabbermouth
word: blabtale
word: blabtongue
word: busybody
word: buzzer
word: gossip
word: gossiper
word: gossipmonger
word: meddler
word: mouth
word: mumblenews
word: newsmonger
word: rumormonger
word: rumourmonger
word: scandalmonger
word: sleazemonger
word: tabby
word: talebearer
word: talecarrier
word: tattletale
word: telltale
word: telltale tit
word: titivil
word: tittle-tattle
word: town crier
word: whisperer
glosses: Someone who likes to talk about other people's private or personal business.
examples: text: According to the latest gossip, their relationship is on the rocks.
text: I have a juicy piece of gossip to share with you.
text: […] the thing is certainly true. It is not a mere bit of gossip. We have it from Frederick himself.
ref: 1817 (date written), [Jane Austen], chapter XVIII, in Persuasion; published in Northanger Abbey: And Persuasion. […], volume (please specify |volume=III or IV), London: John Murray, […], 20 December 1817 (indicated as 1818), →OCLC:
text: I ought to arise and go forth with timbrels and with dances; but, do you know, I am not inclined to revels? There has been a little—just a very little bit too much festivity so far …. Not that I don’t adore dinners and gossip and dances; not that I do not love to pervade bright and glittering places.[…]
ref: 1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter II, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:
text: The smaller a town the more richly it hums with gossip. There are no private affairs here. Gossip is the air we breathe.
ref: 1980, J. M. Coetzee, chapter 2, in Waiting for the Barbarians, Penguin, published 1982, page 32:
text: Intense nosiness about everybody had always existed in the area. Gossip washed in, washed out, came, went, moved on to the next target.
ref: 2018, Anna Burns, chapter 1, in Milkman, London: Faber & Faber:
synonyms: word: dirt
word: hearsay
word: rumor
word: scandal
word: scuttlebutt
word: bruit
word: buzz
word: fame
word: hearsay
word: moot
word: on dit
word: rumor
word: sough
word: muttering
word: noise
word: tale
word: word
word: word on the street
word: word on the wire
word: whisper
word: whispering
glosses: Idle talk about someone’s private or personal matters, especially about someone not present.
examples: text: The parlor was always bright and attractive, the chessboard ready, the piano in tune, plenty of gay gossip, and a nice little supper set forth in tempting style.
ref: 1868–1869, Louisa M[ay] Alcott, chapter 38, in Little Women: […], (please specify |part=1 or 2), Boston, Mass.: Roberts Brothers, →OCLC:
synonyms: word: chat
word: chinwag
word: chit-chat
word: natter
word: babble
word: bavardage
word: bibble-babble
word: blab
word: blabber
word: blabbing
word: blather
word: blathering
word: chatter
word: chinwag
word: chit-chat
word: claver
word: clepe
word: gabble
word: hot air
word: mardle
word: natter
word: palaver
word: prate
word: prattle
word: scuttlebutt
word: small talk
word: tattle
word: twaddle
word: waffle
word: yackety-yak
word: yap
word: yatter
glosses: Idle conversation in general.
examples: text: a gossip columnist
text: a gossip blog
text: Little disappointed, then, she turned attention to "Chat of the Social World," gossip which exercised potent fascination upon the girl's intelligence. She devoured with more avidity than she had her food those pretentiously phrased chronicles of the snobocracy—[…]—distilling therefrom an acid envy that robbed her napoleon of all its flavor.
ref: 1914 November, Louis Joseph Vance, “An Outsider […]”, in Munsey’s Magazine, volume LIII, number II, New York, N.Y.: The Frank A[ndrew] Munsey Company, […], published 1915, →OCLC, chapter I (Anarchy), page 373, column 2:
glosses: A genre in contemporary media, usually focused on the personal affairs of celebrities.
topics: computing
engineering
mathematics
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
sciences
glosses: Communication done using a gossip protocol.
examples: text: ’tis not a maid, for she hath had gossips [i.e. she could not be a virgin, because she has children with godparents]
ref: c. 1590–1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Two Gentlemen of Verona”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i]:
text: Should a great Lady, that was invited to be a Gossip, in her place send her Kitchen-Maid, ’twould be ill taken;
ref: 1689, John Selden, Table-Talk, London: Jacob Tonson et al., 1696, “Prayer”, page 134:
text: It seems, Miss, that if he stood not himself, or procur’d not Gossips for the Christening of the Children of his poorer Tenants, he always sent them a large rich Cake […]
ref: 1742, [Samuel Richardson], Pamela: Or, Virtue Rewarded. […], volume III, London: […] S[amuel] Richardson; and sold by C[harles] Rivington, […]; and J. Osborn, […], →OCLC, page 400:
text: When a man stood sponsor for a child at baptism, he became the child's godfather, and gossip to the parents.
ref: 1908, Patrick Weston Joyce, A Smaller Social History of Ancient Ireland: Treating of the Government, Military System, and Law; Religion, Learning, and Art; Trades, Industries, and Commerce; Manners, Customs, and Domestic Life, of the Ancient Irish People, page 287:
text: Gossips accepted responsibility for the child's spiritual and physical well-being, […]
ref: 2010, Susan E. Phillips, Transforming Talk: The Problem with Gossip in Late Medieval England, Penn State Press, →ISBN, page 154:
synonyms: sponsor
godsib
glosses: A sponsor; a godfather or godmother; the godparent of one's child or godchild, or the parent of one's godchild.
examples: text: My noble gossips, ye have been too prodigal:
I thank ye heartily;
ref: 1613 (date written), William Shakespeare, [John Fletcher], “The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene v]:
synonyms: friend
glosses: A familiar acquaintance.
examples: text: What, ho, gossip Ford! what, ho!
ref: c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merry Wiues of Windsor”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene ii]:
text: He was old and infirm, he wrote, and Gossip Death was waiting for him on the moor; but before he went to join him he would like to see Susan’s boy again.
ref: 1905, William John Locke, chapter 11, in The Morals of Marcus Ordeyne:
glosses: Title used with the name of one's child's godparent or of a friend.
Derived terms: cybergossip
gossipee
gossiper
gossipfest
gossipful
gossiphood
gossipish
gossipless
gossiplike
gossiply
gossip mill
gossip mirror
gossip-prone
gossipred
gossipy