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The Collaborative International Dictionary
Rumor

Rumor \Ru"mor\, n. [F. rumeur, L. rumor; cf. rumificare, rumitare to rumor, Skr. ru to cry.] [Written also rumour.]

  1. A flying or popular report; the common talk; hence, public fame; notoriety.

    This rumor of him went forth throughout all Judea, and throughout all the region round about.
    --Luke vii. 17.

    Great is the rumor of this dreadful knight.
    --Shak.

  2. A current story passing from one person to another, without any known authority for its truth; -- in this sense often personified.

    Rumor next, and Chance, And Tumult, and Confusion, all embroiled.
    --Milton.

  3. A prolonged, indistinct noise. [Obs.]
    --Shak.

Rumor

Rumor \Ru"mor\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Rumored; p. pr. & vb. n. Rumoring.] To report by rumor; to tell.

'T was rumored My father 'scaped from out the citadel.
--Dryden.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
rumor

late 14c., from Old French rumor "commotion, widespread noise or report" (Modern French rumeur), from Latin rumorem (nominative rumor) "noise, clamor, common talk, hearsay, popular opinion," related to ravus "hoarse," from PIE *reu- "to bellow." Related: Rumorous. Rumor mill is from 1887. Dutch rumoer, German Rumor are from French.

rumor

1590s, "spread a rumor; spread by way of rumor," from rumor (n.). Related: Rumored; rumoring.\n

Wiktionary
rumor

n. 1 (context US countable English) A statement or claim of questionable accuracy, from no known reliable source, usually spread by word of mouth. 2 (context US uncountable English) information or misinformation of the kind contained in such claims. vb. (context transitive usually used in the passive voice English) To tell a rumor about; to gossip.

WordNet
rumor
  1. n. gossip (usually a mixture of truth and untruth) passed around by word of mouth [syn: rumour, hearsay]

  2. v. tell or spread rumors; "It was rumored that the next president would be a woman" [syn: rumour, bruit]

Wikipedia
Rumor

A rumour or rumor (US English) is "a tall tale of explanations of events circulating from person to person and pertaining to an object, event, or issue in public concern".

In the social sciences, a rumor involves some kind of a statement whose veracity is not quickly or ever confirmed. In addition, some scholars have identified rumor as a subset of propaganda. Sociology, psychology, and communication studies have widely varying definitions of rumor.

Rumors are also often discussed with regard to "misinformation" and "disinformation" (the former often seen as simply false and the latter seen as deliberately false, though usually from a government source given to the media or a foreign government). Rumors thus have often been viewed as particular forms of other communication concepts.

Rumor (disambiguation)

A rumor (or rumour) is a piece of purportedly true information that circulates without substantiating evidence.

Rumor, rumour, rumors, or rumours may also refer to:

Usage examples of "rumor".

The rumors of this that reached Adams at Quincy would be confirmed before the year was out by his old friend Elbridge Gerry, who was a presidential elector for Massachusetts and, like Adams, an ardent antiparty man.

Timothy Pickering spread the rumor that to secure his reelection Adams had struck a corrupt bargain with the Republicans.

The pair of them ran the networks of eyes-and-ears for the Aes Sedai here in Salidar, the agents who sent in reports and rumors of what was going on in the world.

The appointment has largely been greeted with enthusiasm by the Wizarding community, though rumors of a rift between the new Minister and Albus Dumbledore, newly reinstated Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, surfaced within hours of Scrimgeour taking office.

No rumor was too extreme to find its way into the fanciful legends that foreign travelers heard repeated with awe in Amman, the desert capital of Jordan.

How would you feel if the Christian right held a press conference, putting out rumors to promote its antigay agenda?

The antinuclear protests in Asia during the past decades had been heavily funded by Japan, and had succeeded in spite of rumors in the Western press that Japan itself was working on a new type of nuclear weapon.

His archenemy had learned of Sera, undoubtedly from the rumors flitting about East Chatham.

But those who give credence to this rumor point out that it is most peculiar that the duke of Atholl permits his second-eldest daughter to wait six years to marry.

There are wild rumors that the Yankees are bombing Bangkok, that their Marines are landing in the city, but nothing confirmed.

The triple-damned Moorish bastards have never needed much excuse to sail out and prey on honest shipping, and the mere unsupported rumor, without a single grain of truth to it, that old Abdul might have been poisoned has got them allfrom Sidi Barani to Beni Safarmed and at sea after gold and slaves and anything else they can lay hands on.

Rumors were rife among the men that some secret political deal was being made with the federals by Governor Barnett, a deal that involved guns being pointed at them, Rumors that were not far from the truth.

At night, Bob and I followed CJ around the pool tables, bars, and beer joints of Gatlin and Travis counties, picking up bits and pieces of information, tracking tidbits of gossip, following the rills of rumors.

This verified the rumors Bob and I had picked up in the bars from people who had once worked for the Lomaxes.

We therefore cruised along the Bornean coast making inquiries of the natives until at last we found one who had heard a rumor of a party of whites being far in the interior searching for a white girl who had been stolen from them by pirates.