A Gossip Was Originally a Godparent
Gossip is casual talk about others. The word meant a godparent, and travelled through female friendship to idle chatter.
Gossip is casual talk about other people's affairs. The word began as *godsibb*, a god-relative, meaning a godparent. It then came to mean a close friend, particularly the women attending a birth, and finally the talk such friends exchanged. Each step narrowed and devalued the word, a pattern common with words associated with women.
- Casual talk about others. *Office gossip.*
- A person who gossips. *A terrible gossip.*
- To talk idly. *They gossiped for hours.*
- Gossip column — a newspaper feature. *In the gossip column.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | gossip | Idle gossip. |
| Verb | gossip | Stop gossiping. |
| Person | gossip | She is a gossip. |
| Adjective | gossipy | A gossipy tone. |
| Related | sibling | An older sibling. |
How it is used in a sentence
- It is only gossip.Uncountable.
- A gossip once meant a godparent.From *godsibb*.
- Sibb meant a relative.The same root as sibling.
Words that lost status over time
- Gossip — godparent to idle talk
- Hussy — from *housewife*
- Spinster — one who spins, then an unmarried woman
- Wench — a young girl, then a disparagement
- Pattern — words associated with women often fell in status, a process called pejoration
From Old English *godsibb*, a godparent, from *god* and *sibb*, a relative — the same *sibb* as in *sibling*.
Are gossip and sibling related?
Yes. Both contain Old English *sibb*, meaning a relative or kinship.
What is pejoration?
The process by which a word's meaning becomes less favourable over time. Gossip, hussy and spinster all show it.