Rumour Once Meant Simply a Noise
A rumour is an unverified story passed from person to person. The Latin word meant a murmur or general noise.
A rumour is a story circulating without confirmed facts behind it. Latin *rumor* meant a murmur, a common talk, a general noise — which describes the phenomenon better than the modern definition does. A rumour is not primarily a false statement; it is a statement whose authority is only that many people are repeating it. American English spells it *rumor*, British English *rumour*, following the same pattern as *color* and *honor*.
- An unverified story. *A persistent rumour.*
- To circulate a story. *It is rumoured that.*
- Rumour mill — a source of gossip. *The rumour mill.*
- Hearsay — secondhand report. *Hearsay.*
- Latin — *rumor*, a murmur. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun (UK) | rumour | A rumour. |
| Noun (US) | rumor | A rumor. |
| Plural | rumours | Rumours. |
| Verb | rumour | It is rumoured. |
| Latin | rumor | A murmur. |
- The rumour spread within hours.Circulation.
- It is rumoured he will resign.Verb.
- Rumor meant a general noise.Etymology.
Rumour and its neighbours
- Rumour — circulating without confirmation, true or false
- Gossip — talk about people's private lives
- Hearsay — a report received from another, a legal term
- Scuttlebutt — naval slang, from the ship's water cask
- Grapevine — from telegraph lines strung like vines
Old French *rumour*, from Latin *rumor*, a noise, murmur or common talk.
Does a rumour have to be false?
No. A rumour is unverified rather than untrue; its only authority is that people are repeating it.
Rumour or rumor?
Rumour is British, rumor American, matching colour and color.