Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
noun
- idle talk or rumor, especially about the personal or private affairs of others: the endless gossip about Hollywood stars.
- light, familiar talk or writing.
- Also gos·sip·er, gos·sip·per. a person given to tattling or idle talk.
- Chiefly British Dialect. a godparent.
- Archaic. a friend, especially a woman.
verb (used without object), gos·siped or gos·sipped, gos·sip·ing or gos·sip·ping.
- to talk idly, especially about the affairs of others; go about tattling.
verb (used with object), gos·siped or gos·sipped, gos·sip·ing or gos·sip·ping.
- Chiefly British Dialect. to stand godparent to.
- Archaic. to repeat like a gossip.
noun
- casual and idle chatto have a gossip with a friend
- a conversation involving malicious chatter or rumours about other peoplea gossip about the neighbours
- Also called: gossipmonger a person who habitually talks about others, esp maliciously
- light easy communicationto write a letter full of gossip
- archaic a close woman friend
verb -sips, -siping or -siped
- (intr often foll by about) to talk casually or maliciously (about other people)
“to talk idly about the affairs of others,” 1620s, from gossip (n.). Related: Gossiped; gossiping.
Old English godsibb “sponsor, godparent,” from God + sibb “relative” (see sibling). Extended in Middle English to “any familiar acquaintance” (mid-14c.), especially to woman friends invited to attend a birth, later to “anyone engaging in familiar or idle talk” (1560s). Sense extended 1811 to “trifling talk, groundless rumor.” Similar formations in Old Norse guðsifja, Old Saxon guþziff.