hearsay

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈhɪrˌseɪ/ UK /ˈhɪəseɪ/ See IPA manual

noun

Meanings

1

noun
information received from others that cannot be substantiated; rumor

The court dismissed the testimony as mere hearsay.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · information received from... rumor gossip report talkscuttlebutttattle

Opposites

fact evidence proof

Word family

Related forms hear say

Etymology

A compound formed from the phrase 'to hear say', that is, information one has heard others say; from hear (Old English hieran) and say (Old English secgan).

hieran Old English secgan Old English

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Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

# hearsay

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** ˈhɪrˌseɪ
**IPA (UK):** ˈhɪəseɪ

## Meanings
1. information received from others that cannot be substantiated; rumor

## Examples
- The court dismissed the testimony as mere hearsay.

## Synonyms
- rumor
- gossip
- report
- talk
- scuttlebutt
- tattle

## Antonyms
- fact
- evidence
- proof

## Related Forms
- hear
- say

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: hieran
- Root: secgan

## Etymology
A compound formed from the phrase 'to hear say', that is, information one has heard others say; from hear (Old English hieran) and say (Old English secgan).

## AI Etymology
Hearsay is a compound formed from the phrase 'to hear say', that is, information one has heard others say; from hear (Old English hieran) and say (Old English secgan). Important recorded forms include hieran (Old English) and secgan (Old English). Morphologically, the word is a built form whose named elements carry part of the historical sense. The current sense covers information received from others that cannot be substantiated; rumor. The wider family includes related words such as hear and say.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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