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gazette

Etymology and origin of the English word gazette

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Formation
Borrowing
Borrowed from
French gazette

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ɡəˈzɛt/[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French gazette,[2][3][4][5] from Italian gazzetta,[2][3][4][5] from Venetian gazeta,[3][5] a small coin,[2][3][5] literally “little magpie”, a diminutive of gazza “magpie”.[3][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

A news-sheet or periodical giving an account of current events (1605; about 1598 in Merriam-Webster).[6][4]

Semantic evolution

In the 16th century the government in Venice published a monthly news-sheet, and it was named either for the coin it cost or for the magpie, a bird associated with idle chatter, or both.[3][5] In English the word was first used in 1665 for the paper issued at Oxford, where the court had fled from the plague.[3][6] This became The London Gazette, one of the official journals listing appointments, promotions and bankruptcies.[6][5] The verb, to announce in such a gazette, dates from 1678,[6][4] and to be gazetted meant to be named to a command.[3][6]

Timeline

  • 1605 – a news-sheet.[6]
  • 1665 – the official Oxford (later London) Gazette.[6][3]
  • 1678 – verb, to publish in a gazette.[6][4]
  • 1702 – a newsmonger (obsolete).[6]
  • 1801 – a report in an official gazette.[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A newspaper (now chiefly in titles).
  2. An official journal publishing government appointments and public notices.

Verb

  1. (chiefly British) To announce or publish in an official gazette.

Word family

  • gazetteer

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Gazette.” Etymologically, 15 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/gazette. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·