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 *h₃rewH- (“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^[1], 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

Terms derived from rumor (noun)

• all rumors are true
• rumor campaign
• rumor has it
• rumor mill
• rumormonger

Translations

statement or claim from no known reliable source

• Albanian: thashetheme (sq) f
• Amharic: ጭምጭምታ (č̣əmč̣əmta)
• Arabic: إِشَاعَة f (ʔišāʕa), شَائِعَة f (šāʔiʕa)
• Armenian: ասեկոսե (hy) (asekose), բամբասանք (hy) (bambasankʻ), ձայն (hy) (jayn) (dialectal)
• Assamese: উৰাবাতৰি (urabatori)
• Azerbaijani: dedi-qodu (az), şayiə, rəvayət (az), xəbər (az)
• Basque: please add this translation if you can
• Belarusian: плётка f (pljótka), гаво́рка f (havórka), звон m (zvon), гамана́ f (hamaná), гамо́нка f (hamónka), чу́тка f (čútka), чу́ткі f pl (čútki), по́галаска f (póhalaska), слых m (slyx)
• Bengali: কিংবদন্তি (bn) (kiṅbodonti)
• Bulgarian: мълва́ (bg) f (mǎlvá), слух (bg) m (sluh)
• Burmese: ကောလာဟလ (my) (kau:laha.la.)
• Catalan: rumor (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 傳聞／传闻 (cyun⁴ man⁴), 傳言／传言 (cyun⁴ jin⁴)

  Mandarin: 傳聞／传闻 (zh) (chuánwén), 傳言／传言 (zh) (chuányán)

• Chinese Pidgin English: bunder
• Czech: zvěst f, drby (cs) m pl, fáma (cs) f
• Danish: rygte n, forlydende n
• Dutch: gerucht (nl) n
• Esperanto: onidiro
• Estonian: faama
• Finnish: huhu (fi)
• French: rumeur (fr) f, bruit (fr) m
• Galician: rumor m
• Georgian: ჭორი (č̣ori), ხმა (ka) (xma), ხმები (ka) pl (xmebi)
• German: Gerücht (de) n
• Greek: φήμη (el) f (fími)

  Ancient: θροῦς m (throûs), φάτις f (phátis)

• Hebrew: שְׁמוּעָה (he) f (shmu'á)
• Hindi: अफ़वाह f (afvāh), अफवाह (hi) f (aphvāh), अफवा (hi) f (aphvā), गप्प (hi) f (gapp), प्रवाद (hi) m (pravād), जनश्रुति (hi) f (janaśruti)
• Hungarian: híresztelés (hu), szóbeszéd (hu)
• Indonesian: kabar burung (id), isu (id), kabar angin (id), desas-desus, rumor (id)
• Italian: voce (it) f, voci di corridoio f pl
• Japanese: 噂 (ja) (うわさ, uwasa), 伝聞 (ja) (でんぶん, denbun)
• Kazakh: сыбыс (sybys), қауесет (qaueset), өсек (ösek), дақпырт (daqpyrt), хабар (xabar), дерек (derek)
• Khmer: ពាក្យចចាមអារ៉ាម (piək cɑcaam ʼaaraam), ចចាមអារ៉ាម (km) (cɑcaam ʼaaraam), ជនវាទ (cŭən viət)
• Korean: 소문(所聞) (ko) (somun), 풍문(風聞) (pungmun)
• Kyrgyz: кабар (ky) (kabar), дарек (ky) (darek), ушак (ky) (uşak)
• Lao: ຂ່າວລື (khāo lư̄), ຄວາມລື (khuām lư̄), ໂຄມລອຽ (khōm lǭi)
• Latin: rūmor m, auditus (la)
• Latvian: bauma f
• Lithuanian: gandas m
• Macedonian: гласина f (glasina), слух m (sluh)
• Malay: khabar angin
• Maltese: xniegħa f
• Maori: waha kau, wawara, kohimu, tūtara
• Marathi: अफवा f (aphvā)
• Mongolian:

  Cyrillic: цуу (mn) (cuu), цуурхал (mn) (cuurxal), цуу үг (cuu üg)

• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: rykte (no) n

  Nynorsk: rykte n

• Ottoman Turkish: تواتر (tevâtür)
• Pashto: اوازه (ps) f (awāza), افواه (ps) f (afwā), شايعه (ps) f (šāye'a)
• Persian:

  Dari: شَایِعَه (fa) (šāyi'a), آوَازَه (fa) (āwāza), اَفْوَاه (fa) (afwāh)

  Iranian Persian: شایِعِه (fa) (šâye'e), آوازِه (fa) (âvâze), اَفْواه (fa) (afvâh)

• Polish: pogłoska (pl) f, plotka (pl) f
• Portuguese: rumor (pt) m, boato (pt) m
• Romanian: zvon (ro) n, bârfă (ro) f, rumoare (ro) f (rare)
• Russian: молва́ (ru) f (molvá), слух (ru) m (slux), слу́хи (ru) m pl (slúxi) (often plural), то́лки (ru) pl (tólki)
• Scottish Gaelic: fathann m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: гла̀сина f

  Roman: glàsina (sh) f

• Slovak: reči pl, fáma (sk) f, povesť f
• Slovene: govorica f, opravljanje n
• Spanish: rumor (es) m, voz (es) f
• Swedish: rykte (sv) n
• Tagalog: sabi-sabi, tsismis (tl), usap-usapan
• Tajik: овоза (ovoza), шоеа (šoyea), афвоҳ (afvoh)
• Tamil: please add this translation if you can
• Tatar: имеш-мимеш (tt) (imeş-mimeş)
• Telugu: పుకారు (te) (pukāru)
• Thai: ข่าวลือ (th) (kàao-lʉʉ)
• Tibetan: དཀྲོག་གཏམ (dkrog gtam)
• Turkish: söylenti (tr), rivayet (tr), şayia (tr)
• Turkmen: rovaaýat
• Ukrainian: чу́тка f (čútka), чутки́ f pl (čutký), слух m (slux), плі́тка f (plítka), поголо́ска f (poholóska), по́голос m (póholos), погові́р m (pohovír), го́вір m (hóvir), чу́йка f (čújka)
• Urdu: اَفْواہ f (afvāh), آوازَہ (ur) m (āvāza)
• Uyghur: مىش-مىش پاراڭ (mish-mish parang), خەۋەر (xewer)
• Uzbek: ovoza (uz), mish-mish gap, xabar (uz), darak (uz)
• Vietnamese: tin đồn (vi), lời đồn (vi)
• Yiddish: פּליאָטקע f (plyotke), פּאָטש f (potsh), שמועה f (shmue), שלח־מנות m or n (sh(a)lakh-mones)

uncountable: information

• Bengali: গুজব (bn) (gujob)
• Czech: drby (cs) m pl
• Dutch: geruchten (nl) pl
• Finnish: huhu (fi), kuulopuhe (fi)
• German: Gerüchte (de) n pl, Gerede (de) n
• Greek: φήμες (el) f or pl (fímes), διαδόσεις (el) f or pl (diadóseis)
• Japanese: 噂 (ja) (うわさ, uwasa)
• Latvian: baumas f pl
• Portuguese: rumor (pt) m, boato (pt) m
• Romanian: zvon (ro) n
• Russian: слу́хи (ru) m pl (slúxi), молва́ (ru) f (molvá)
• Scottish Gaelic: fathann m
• Slovene: govorica f
• Spanish: rumorología, habladurías (es)
• Swedish: rykte (sv) n
• Telugu: పుకారు (te) (pukāru)
• Tibetan: དཀྲོག་གཏམ (dkrog gtam)
• Turkish: söylenti (tr), rivayet (tr)

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.

Translations

Translations

• Spanish: rumorear (es)

Catalan

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [ruˈmor]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [ruˈmo]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [ruˈmoɾ]

Noun

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

1. rumor

Related terms

• remor
• rumorejar

 

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 *h₃rewH- (“to shout, to roar”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈruː.mor/, [ˈruːmɔr]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈru.mor/, [ˈruːmor]

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.

	singular	plural
nominative	rūmor	rūmōrēs
genitive	rūmōris	rūmōrum
dative	rūmōrī	rūmōribus
accusative	rūmōrem	rūmōrēs
ablative	rūmōre	rūmōribus
vocative	rūmor	rūmōrēs

Descendants

• Catalan: remor, rumor
• Dutch: rumoer
• English: rumour, rumor
• French: rumeur
• Friulian: romôr
• Galician: rumor
• Italian: rumore
• Piedmontese: rumor
• Portuguese: rumor
• Romanian: rumoare
• Sicilian: rumuri
• Spanish: rumor
• Venetan: rumor

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^[2], 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

Learned borrowing 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

Declension of rumor

	singular	plural
nominative	rumor	rumory
genitive	rumoru	rumorów
dative	rumorowi	rumorom
accusative	rumor	rumory
instrumental	rumorem	rumorami
locative	rumorze	rumorach
vocative	rumorze	rumory

Further reading

• rumor in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

Etymology

From Latin rumōrem.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ʁuˈmoʁ/ [huˈmoh]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ʁuˈmoʁ/ [huˈmoh]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /ʁuˈmoɾ/ [huˈmoɾ]
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ʁuˈmoʁ/ [χuˈmoχ]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ʁuˈmoɻ/ [huˈmoɻ]

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ʁuˈmoɾ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ʁuˈmoɾ/
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /ʁuˈmo.ɾi/

• 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/ [ruˈmoɾ]
• Rhymes: -oɾ
• Syllabification: ru‧mor

Noun

rumor m (plural rumores)

1. rumor

   Synonym: fábula

2. murmur

   Synonym: murmurio

Derived terms

• rumorear
• rumorología

 

Further reading

• “rumor”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2023 November 28

Tagalog

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish rumor.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ɾuˈmoɾ/ [ɾʊˈmoɾ]
• Rhymes: -oɾ
• Syllabification: ru‧mor

Noun

rumór (Baybayin spelling ᜇᜓᜋᜓᜇ᜔)

1. rumor

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