gossip

See also: Gossip

English

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.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɡɒs.ɪp/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɡɑs.ɪp/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: gos‧sip

Noun

gossip (countable and uncountable, plural gossips)

1. (countable) Someone who likes to talk about other people's private or personal business.

   Synonyms: busybody, gossipmonger, meddler, rumormonger; see also Thesaurus:gossiper

   Be careful what you say to him: he’s a bit of a gossip.

   • 1846, Herman Melville, “Sequel Containing the Story of Toby”, in Typee‎^[1]:

     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 […]
2. (uncountable) Idle talk about someone’s private or personal matters, especially someone not present.

   Synonyms: dirt, hearsay, rumor, scandal, scuttlebutt; see also Thesaurus:rumor

   According to the latest gossip, their relationship is on the rocks.

   I have a juicy piece of gossip to share with you.

   • 1818, Jane Austen, chapter 18, in Persuasion‎^[2]:

     […] the thing is certainly true. It is not a mere bit of gossip. We have it from Frederick himself.

   • 1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter II, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:

     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. […]

   • 2018, Anna Burns, chapter 1, in Milkman‎^[3], London: Faber & Faber:

     Intense nosiness about everybody had always existed in the area. Gossip washed in, washed out, came, went, moved on to the next target.

3. (uncountable) Idle conversation in general.

   Synonyms: chat, chinwag, chit-chat, natter; see also Thesaurus:chatter

   • 1868, Louisa May Alcott, chapter 38, in Little Women‎^[4]:

     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.

4. (uncountable) A genre in contemporary media, usually focused on the personal affairs of celebrities.

   a gossip columnist

   a gossip blog

   • 1914, Louis Joseph Vance, chapter I, in Nobody, New York, N.Y.: George H[enry] Doran Company, published 1915, →OCLC:

     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 savour.

5. (now only historical) A sponsor; a godfather or godmother; the godparent of a child.

   Synonyms: sponsor, godsib

   Hyponyms: godfather, godmother

   • c. 1594, William Shakespeare, The Two Gentlemen of Verona‎^[5], Act 3, Scene 1:

     ’tis not a maid, for she hath had gossips [i.e. she could not be a virgin, because she has children with godparents]

   • 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:

     When a man stood sponsor for a child at baptism, he became the child's godfather, and gossip to the parents.

   • 2010, Susan E. Phillips, Transforming Talk: The Problem with Gossip in Late Medieval England, Penn State Press (→ISBN), page 154:

     Gossips accepted responsibility for the child's spiritual and physical well-being,  […]

6. (obsolete) A familiar acquaintance.

   Synonym: friend

   • c. 1612, William Shakespeare, Henry VIII‎^[6], Act 5, Scene 5:

     My noble gossips, ye have been too prodigal:
     I thank ye heartily;

7. (obsolete) Title used with the name of one's child's godparent or of a friend.
   • c. 1600, William Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor‎^[7], Act 4, Scene 2:

     What, ho, gossip Ford! what, ho!

   • 1905, William John Locke, chapter 11, in The Morals of Marcus Ordeyne‎^[8]:

     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.

Derived terms

• gossiper
• gossipful
• gossipish
• gossipless
• gossiplike
• gossiply
• gossip-prone
• gossipred
• gossipy

 

Translations

person

• Albanian: thashethemexhi (sq) m, çuçurjar (sq) m
• Azerbaijani: qeybətçi, xəbərçi
• Bashkir: ғәйбәтсе m (ğəybətse), ғәйбәт тоҡсайы m (ğəybət toqsayı)
• Bulgarian: клюкар (bg) m (kljukar)
• Catalan: tafaner (ca) m, tafanera (ca) f, xafarder (ca) m, xafardera (ca) f, bugader (ca) m, bugadera (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 愛說閒話的人／爱说闲话的人, 爱说闲话的人 (ài shuō xiánhuà de rén), 八卦的人 (bāguà de rén)

• Czech: drbna f, klepna f
• Danish: sladrehank c
• Dutch: roddelaar (nl) m, roddelaarster (nl) f
• Finnish: juoruilija (fi), juorukello (fi)
• French: commère (fr) f
• Galician: rexoubeiro (gl) m
• German: Tratsche (de) f, Tratschtante (de) f, Klatschtante (de) f, Tratschweib n, Klatschweib n
• Greek: κουτσομπόλης (el) m (koutsompólis), κουτσομπόλα (el) f (koutsompóla)
• Hungarian: pletykás (hu), pletykafészek (hu)
• Italian: pettegolo (it) m, pettegola (it) f, chiacchierone (it) m, chiacchierona f, comare (it) f (regional), linguacciuto (it) m, ciarlatano (it) m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Ladino: mesherikero m, mesherikera f
• Latin: lingulāca f
• Norman: conméthe f
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: ryktemaker m, ryktesmed m, skvaldrebøtte m or f

• Persian: سخن‌چین (soxan-čīn)
• Polish: plotkarz (pl) m, plotkarka (pl) f
• Portuguese: mexeriqueiro m, fofoqueiro (pt) m
• Romanian: palavragiu (ro) m, palavragioaică (ro) f
• Russian: спле́тник (ru) m (splétnik), спле́тница (ru) m (splétnica), болту́н (ru) m (boltún), болту́нья (ru) f (boltúnʹja)
• Scots: auld wife
• Sicilian: cuttigghiaru m, cuttigghiara f
• Spanish: chismoso (es) m, chismosa (es) f (especially Latin America), copuchento (es) m (Chile, colloquial), argüendero m, argüendera f (Mexico, colloquial), alcahuete (es) m, cotilla (es) m or f, correveidile (es), gacetilla (es)
• Swedish: skvallerbytta (sv), skvallerkäring (sv), sladderkärring c, sladdertacka c, skvallerkvarn c, skvallermoster c, skvallerranta c, skvallertaska c, skvallertant, tjallare (sv) c
• Tagalog: tsismoso, tsismosa
• Tibetan: ཁ་བདར་གློད་མཁན (kha bdar glod mkhan)
• Turkish: dedikoducu (tr)
• Yoruba: gbéborùn, olófòófó

idle talk

• Albanian: thashetheme (sq) f, çuçurimë (sq) f
• Armenian: բամբասանք (hy) (bambasankʻ)
• Azerbaijani: qeybət (az), dalınca danışma
• Bashkir: ғәйбәт m (ğəybət)
• Belarusian: плётка f (pljótka)
• Bulgarian: клюка (bg) f (kljuka), сплетня (bg) f (spletnja)
• Catalan: xafarderia (ca) f
• Chechen: эладит (eladit)
• Cherokee: ᎦᏬᏂᏓ (gawonida)
• Chichewa: mabodza
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 閒話／闲话 (zh) (xiánhuà), 闲话 (zh) (haan4 waa6-2)

  Hakka: 閒話／闲话 (zh) (xiánhuà), 闲话 (zh) (hàn-fa)

  Mandarin: 閒話／闲话 (zh) (xiánhuà), 闲话 (zh) (xiánhuá), 山海經／山海经 (zh) (Shānhǎijīng), 山海经 (zh) (shānhǎijīng)

  Min Nan: 閒仔話／闲仔话, 闲仔话 (êng-á-ōe)

• Czech: drb (cs) m
• Danish: sladder n pl
• Dutch: kletspraatje (nl), roddel (nl), geroddel (nl) n, achterklap (nl) c
• Dzongkha: ངག་ཀྱལ (ngag kyal)
• Esperanto: klaĉo
• Faroese: slatur n
• Finnish: juoru (fi)
• French: commérage (fr), ragot (fr), cancan (fr), qu’en-dira-t-on (fr)
• Galician: leria (gl) f, conto (gl) m
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: Klatsch (de) m, Tratsch (de) m
• Greek: κουτσομπολιό (el) n (koutsompolió)
• Hebrew: רכילות (he) f (rehilut)
• Hindi: गप-शप f (gap-śap)
• Hungarian: pletyka (hu)
• Icelandic: slúður (is) n
• Indonesian: gosip (id)
• Irish: scéalaíocht f
• Italian: pettegolezzo (it) m, chiacchera f, diceria (it) f, ciarla (it) f
• Japanese: 噂 (ja) (うわさ, uwasa), 世間話 (せけんばなし, seken banashi)
• Khmer: ចចាមអារ៉ាម (km) (cɑcaam ʼaaraam)
• Korean: 험담 (ko) (heomdam)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Lao: please add this translation if you can
• Latin: rūmusculī m pl
• Macedonian: трач m (trač)
• Malay: gosip
• Maori: tarawau, pōtinitini, pakitara
• Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
• Navajo: aseezį́
• Norwegian: sladder (no) n
• Plautdietsch: Pludra m
• Polish: plotka (pl) f
• Portuguese: bisbilhotice (pt) f, fofoca (pt) f (Brazil), mexerico (pt) m
• Romanian: bârfă (ro) f
• Russian: спле́тни (ru) f pl (splétni), слу́хи (ru) m pl (slúxi), болтовня́ (ru) f (boltovnjá)
• Scottish Gaelic: seanchas m
• Serbo-Croatian: ogovaranje (sh) n, оговарање n
• Sicilian: cuttigghiu (scn) m
• Spanish: chisme (es) m (especially Latin America), bochinche (es) m (Colombian Atlantic Coast, Dominican Republic, Panama, Puerto Rico, colloquial), brete f (Cuba, colloquial), cahuín (es) m (Chile, colloquial), chambre (es) m (El Salvador, Honduras, colloquial), chimento m (Argentina, Uruguay, colloquial), chirmol m (Guatemala, colloquial), cocoa f (Panama, colloquial), copucha (es) f (Chile, colloquial), cotilleo (es) m (Spain), cuecho m (Nicaragua, colloquial), mitote (es) m, argüende m (Mexico, colloquial), vinazo m (Costa Rica, colloquial), habladurías (es), hablillas (es), marujeo (es) (Spain, colloquial), salseo (es) (Spain, colloquial)
• Swahili: tetesi (sw)
• Swedish: skvaller (sv) n, sladder (sv) n
• Tagalog: sitsit, tsika, tsismis (tl)
• Telugu: గాలి కబుర్లు (gāli kaburlu)
• Thai: คำนินทา, ขี้ปาก
• Tibetan: འཆལ་གཏམ ('chal gtam), ཁ་བཤད (kha bshad), ལབ་ལོབ (lab lob)
• Tocharian B: käskor
• Turkish: dedikodu (tr)
• Ukrainian: плі́тка f (plítka), сплі́тка f (splítka)
• Urdu: گپ شپ f (gap śap)
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can
• Welsh: straeon (cy) m pl, clecs m pl
• Westrobothnian:
• Yiddish: שלח־מנות m or n (sh(a)lakh-mones) (humble), שמועה f (shmue)
• Yoruba: òfófó, ọ̀rọ̀ ẹ̀yìn

Verb

gossip (third-person singular simple present gossips, present participle gossiping or gossipping, simple past and past participle gossiped or gossipped)

1. (intransitive) To talk about someone else's private or personal business, especially in a manner that spreads the information.

   Synonyms: blab, dish the dirt, spill the tea, talk out of turn, tell tales out of school
2. (intransitive) To talk idly.

   Synonyms: chat, chatter, chew the fat, chinwag, natter, prattle, shoot the breeze

   • 1889, Jerome K. Jerome, chapter 14, in Three Men in a Boat‎^[9]:

     […] on seats beneath the trees, the old men group of an evening to drink their ale and gossip over village politics;

   • 1926, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Land of Mist‎^[10]:

     "Tut! tut! The unchanging woman. They gossiped in my time and they gossip still."

3. (obsolete) To stand godfather to; to provide godparents for.
   • c. 1602, William Shakespeare, All’s Well That Ends Well‎^[11], Act 1, Scene 1:

     […] a world
     Of pretty, fond, adoptious christendoms [i.e. Christian names],
     That blinking Cupid gossips.
4. (obsolete) To enjoy oneself during festivities, to make merry.
   • c. 1596, William Shakespeare, King John‎^[12], Act 5, Scene 2:

     […] those baby eyes
     That never saw the giant world enraged;
     Nor met with fortune other than at feasts,
     Full of warm blood, of mirth, of gossiping.

Translations

to talk about someone else's private or personal business

• Afrikaans: skinder
• Arabic: اِغْتَابَ (iḡtāba)

  Gulf Arabic: حش (ḥašš)

• Armenian: բամբասել (hy) (bambasel)
• Azerbaijani: qeybət etmək, dalınca danışmaq
• Bulgarian: клюкарствам (kljukarstvam)
• Catalan: xafardejar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 說閒話／说闲话, 说闲话 (shuō xiánhuà), 八卦 (zh) (bāguà)

• Czech: drbat (cs) (colloquial)
• Danish: sladre, bagtale, snage
• Dutch: roddelen (nl)
• Esperanto: klaĉi
• Finnish: juoruta (fi)
• French: commérer (fr)
• Galician: leriar, laretar (gl), rexoubar (gl)
• German: tratschen (de), klatschen (de), lästern (de)
• Greek: κουτσομπολεύω (el) (koutsompolévo)
• Hebrew: לרכל
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hungarian: pletykál (hu)
• Italian: spettegolare (it), chiacchierare (it)
• Kabuverdianu: rue, linguara
• Ladino: mesherikear
• Malay: bawang
• Maori: pakitara
• Maranao: bantabantaan
• Norwegian: sladre, slarve
• Polish: plotkować (pl) impf, poplotkować pf
• Portuguese: fofocar (pt) (Brazil), mexericar (pt)
• Russian: спле́тничать (ru) impf (splétničatʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian: tračati (sh), ogovarati (sh)
• Sicilian: cuttigghiari
• Spanish: chismear (es), cotillear (es), chismorrear (es), marujear (es) (Spain, colloquial)
• Tagalog: magtsismis
• Thai: ซุบซิบ (súp-síp), นินทา (th) (nin-taa)
• Tibetan: ཁ་བདར་གློད (kha bdar glod)
• Turkish: dedikodu yapmak
• Westrobothnian:
• Yoruba: ṣòfófó, gbéborùn
• ǃXóõ: ʘgāle

to talk idly

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 說閒聊／说闲聊, 说闲聊 (shuō xiánliáo)

• Danish: småsnakke
• Dutch: babbelen (nl), zeveren (nl), kletsen (nl), zwetsen (nl)
• Finnish: jutella (fi), juoruilla (fi)
• French: bavarder (fr)
• Galician: leriar, laretar (gl)
• German: klatschen (de), schwatzen (de)
• Italian: chiacchierare (it)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Kabuverdianu: linguara
• Maori: pakitara, ngutungutu, tūtara, kauhimu, pahupahu
• Polish: plotkować (pl) impf, poplotkować pf
• Portuguese: papear, bater papo (pt)
• Serbo-Croatian: brbljati (sh)
• Sicilian: cuttigghiari
• Tagalog: magtsikahan
• Thai: นินทา (th) (nin-taa), ว่าร้าย
• Turkish: çene çalmak (tr)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Catalan: ^{(please verify)} xafardejar (ca), ^{(please verify)} cotillejar
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

References

• Michael Quinion (2004) “Gossip”, in Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds: Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins, Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books in association with Penguin Books, →ISBN.

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Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from English gossip.

Noun

gossip m (invariable)

1. gossip (especially concerning famous or important people)

   Synonym: pettegolezzo

Derived terms

• gossipparo