What is gossip?

What Does gossip Mean

Before entering fully into the meaning of the term gossip, it is necessary to discover its etymological origin. In this case, we can emphasize that it is a word that derives from Latin, exactly from “cauta, which, in turn, comes from“ cautum ”.

It is called gossip to the act and the result of gossip : gossip, gossiping, backbiting or pandering. Whoever spreads gossip, rumors or hearsay , therefore, incurs in gossip.
For example: "The team coach is angry about locker room gossip" , "TV shows dedicated to gossip are the most popular" , "There are people who use social media for gossip, but I use it for work reasons ” .

There are different theories about the gossip match point. Thus, one, collected in the work "General inventory of insults", indicates that it comes from the 19th century and specifically from a figure of that time such as María de la Trinidad Cotilla, popularly known as Tía Cotilla.
That was a woman who was at the forefront of an antiliberal group, specifically absolutist political ideas. Apparently that female had a network of snitches, who were called gossips, who brought her up to date on all aspects and issues that might interest them as they charged for it.
María was executed in Madrid, after having committed different murders, and after her death the term gossip came to be used to refer to someone who likes gossip. And these themselves became known as gossip.
At a general level, it can be said that gossip consists of referring to someone who is not present . Usually the comments that are made are negative: since the individual in question does not listen to what is said, they do not have the possibility of responding or defending themselves.
Gossiping usually involve the dissemination of information inaccurate , unverified or false . Suppose a woman hears on the street that her neighbor is pregnant and does not know who the father of the child is. This woman comes home and tells her husband what she heard. The man, in turn, transmits the rumor to his co-workers, who also spread it around the neighborhood. In this way the gossip grows and becomes popular without anyone consulting the protagonist about the veracity of what was said.
There are styles of journalism that focus on gossip: the yellow press (also known as tabloid ) and the tabloid press ( press the heart ). In these publications and broadcasts, journalists are dedicated to disseminating rumors and unconfirmed data, which are often scandalous or controversial.
In recent years, the number of television programs focused on gossip has increased considerably. This would be the case, for example, of the space “Save me”, which is broadcast from Monday to Friday in the afternoon on the Telecinco network in Spain.

Likewise, it should be noted the existence of an online publication called "Gossip", where information about famous people is offered.

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