gossip

Etymology

The word is inherited from Middle English godsib (“godparent”),^[1][2] inherited from Old English godsibb (“sponsor, godparent”),^[1][3] from god “God” + sibb “related; kinsman”.^[4][5]

In Middle English the sense was extended to “a familiar acquaintance, friend” (c. 1300), especially women friends invited to attend a birth, and later to “anyone engaging in idle talk” (1560s).^[6] The sense “trifling talk, groundless rumour” dates from 1811.^[6] Compare sibling.^[6]

References

1. [1] [2] The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Boston: Houghton Mifflin
2. [1] Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
3. [1] Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. [1] Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. [1] Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
6. [1] [2] [3] Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com