Informal talk about other people, often spreading unverified details or rumours in everyday conversation.
Word of the Day: GOSSIP
Pronunciation: UK/ˈɡɒsɪp/
Meaning:
As a noun, a gossip refers to casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true. As a verb, it means to engage in such talk. Historically, it also referred to a person who habitually spreads such information.
Example for daily usage:
- “The morning break was usually reserved for tea and a bit of harmless gossip about the latest television drama.”
- “It is often difficult to distinguish between genuine news and mere gossip in the age of social media.”
Origin and history:
The word has a surprisingly wholesome origin. It comes from the Old English godsibb, a combination of God and sibb (meaning a relative or “sibling”). Originally, a gossip was a godparent—someone who shared a spiritual bond with a family. Over time, it came to describe a close female friend who would attend a birth, and eventually, it evolved to describe the “idle talk” shared between such close friends.
Cultural significance and modern usage: In British culture, “gossip” is often viewed as a double-edged sword; while it can be socially destructive, it is also seen as a “social glue” that builds intimacy between friends. In the UK, a “good old gossip” is frequently a lighthearted way to describe catching up. Modern tabloids are often referred to as “gossip rags.”
Also read: Word of the Day, May 06: ‘Hypothesis’
Interesting facts:
From Kin to Chat: The transition of the word from meaning “family relative” to “someone who talks too much” took nearly 500 years to complete.
The “Scold’s Bridle”: In the 16th and 17th centuries, women accused of being “common gossips” or “scolds” were sometimes forced to wear a “brank”—a metal mask designed to prevent them from speaking.
Examples from literature:
- “My gossip Tattle-tell told me that the wedding was but a sham.” — Ben Jonson, The Staple of News (1626).
- “There is no such thing as a ‘moral’ or an ‘immoral’ book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is all. But gossip is always immoral.” — Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890).
- “I am not a gossip, but I do like to know what is going on.” — Agatha Christie, The Murder at the Vicarage (1930).
- “The gossip of the village was a stream that never ran dry.” — George Eliot, Middlemarch (1871).
Synonyms:
- Tittle-tattle
- Chitchat
- Rumour
- Scuttlebutt
Antonyms:
- Fact
- Silence
- Secret
- Evidence
Read more Word of the day here.
Published: 08 May 2026, 08:00 am IST
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