rumor

English

Alternative forms

• rumour (Commonwealth)

Etymology

From Middle English rumour, from Old French rumeur, from Latin rūmor (“common talk”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *rewH- (“to shout, to roar”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈɹuːmə(ɹ)/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈɹumɚ/
• Rhymes: -uːmə(ɹ)

Noun

rumor (countable and uncountable, plural rumors) (American spelling)

1. (countable) A statement or claim of questionable accuracy, from no known reliable source, usually spread by word of mouth.

   There's a rumor going round that he's going to get married.

   vile rumor

   a rumor going round

   vicious rumors

   spread a rumor

2. (uncountable) Information or misinformation of the kind contained in such claims.

   They say he used to be a thief, but that's just rumor.

3. (uncountable, archaic) Report, news, information in general.
   • 1906, Lord Dunsany [i.e., Edward Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany], Time and the Gods‎, London: William Heineman, →OCLC, page 3:

     It stands a city aloof. There hath been no rumour of it—I alone have dreamed of it, and I may not be sure that my dreams are true.

4. (uncountable, obsolete) Fame, reputation.
5. (uncountable, obsolete) Clamor, din, outcry.

Synonyms

• (piece of information):
• (information of questionable accuracy): gossip, hearsay, talk, tittle-tattle

Hypernyms

• information

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

rumor (third-person singular simple present rumors, present participle rumoring, simple past and past participle rumored)

1. (transitive, usually used in the passive voice) To tell a rumor about; to gossip.

   John is rumored to be next in line for a promotion.

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin rūmōrem (a borrowing per DCVB). Doublet of remor. First attested in the 14th century.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central)
• IPA^(key): (Balearic)
• IPA^(key): (Valencian)

Noun

rumor m or (archaic, regional or poetic) f (plural rumors)

1. rumor

Related terms

Further reading

• “rumor” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *roumōs, from Proto-Indo-European *rewH- (“to shout, to roar”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈruː.mor/,
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈru.mor/,

Noun

rūmor m (genitive rūmōris); third declension

1. rumor, hearsay, gossip
2. rustle, murmur, a murmuring
3. the voice of the people

Declension

Third-declension noun.

Descendants

References

• “rumor”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “rumor”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• rumor in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• rumor in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎, London: Macmillan and Co.
  • report says; people say: rumor, fama, sermo est or manat
    
  • a rumour is prevalent: rumor, fama viget
    
  • a report, an impression is gaining ground: rumor increbrescit
    
  • to spread a rumour: rumorem spargere
    
  • vague rumours reach us: dubii rumores afferuntur ad nos
    

Polish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin rūmor.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈru.mɔr/
• Rhymes: -umɔr
• Syllabification: ru‧mor

Noun

rumor m inan

1. din, hubbub, racket, tumult, uproar

   Synonyms: wrzawa, zamieszanie

Declension

Further reading

• rumor in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

Etymology

From Latin rumōrem.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: (Portugal, São Paulo) -oɾ, (Brazil) -oʁ
• Hyphenation: ru‧mor

Noun

rumor m (plural rumores)

1. rumour (statement or claim from no known reliable source)
2. continuous noise
   • 1890, Aluísio Azevedo, O Cortiço, Rio de Janeiro: B. L. Garnier:

     No confuso rumor que se formava, destacavam-se risos, sons de vozes que altercavam, sem se saber de onde, grasnar de marrecos, cantar de galos, cacarejar de galinhas.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:rumor.

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin rumorem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ruˈmoɾ/
• Rhymes: -oɾ
• Syllabification: ru‧mor

Noun

rumor m (plural rumores)

1. rumor

   Synonym: fábula

2. murmur

   Synonym: murmurio

Related terms

Further reading

• “rumor”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014

References

Tagalog

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish rumor.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɾuˈmoɾ/,
• Hyphenation: ru‧mor

Noun

rumór (Baybayin spelling ᜇᜓᜋᜓᜇ᜔)

1. rumor

   Synonyms: tsismis, bali-balita, usap-usapan, bulong-bulungan