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Originally Posted by Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
gos·sip [gos-uhp] noun, verb, -siped or -sipped, -sip·ing or -sip·ping.
–noun 1. idle talk or rumor, esp. about the personal or private affairs of others: the endless gossip about Hollywood stars.
2. light, familiar talk or writing.
3. Also, gos·sip·er, gos·sip·per. a person given to tattling or idle talk.
4. Chiefly British Dialect. a godparent.
5. Archaic. a friend, esp. a woman.
–verb (used without object) 6. to talk idly, esp. about the affairs of others; go about tattling.
–verb (used with object) 7. Chiefly British Dialect. to stand godparent to.
8. Archaic. to repeat like a gossip.
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[Origin: bef. 1050; ME gossib, godsib(be), OE godsibb, orig. godparent, equiv. to god God + sibb related; see sib1]
—Related forms
gos·sip·ing·ly, adverb
—Synonyms 1. small talk, hearsay, palaver, chitchat. Gossip, scandal apply to idle talk and newsmongering about the affairs of others. Gossip is light chat or talk: to trade gossip about the neighbors. Scandal is rumor or general talk that is damaging to reputation; it is usually more or less malicious: The town never lived down the election scandal. 3. chatterer, talker, gabbler, rumormonger. 6. chatter, prattle, prate, palaver.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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