English
rumour
Rumour comes from Latin rūmor ‘common talk’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *rewH- ‘to shout, roar’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*rewH-‘to shout, roar’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErūmor‘common talk’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400rumour
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation 1599same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*rewH-‘to shout, roar’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErūmor‘common talk’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400rumour
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation 1599same form
Earliest quotation: 1599, The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar: “Prithee, listen well; / I heard a bustling rumour…”
Linked words
through Middle English rumour
Today it means
noun UK, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and Ireland spelling of rumor.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *rewH- / rumour