hearsay
UK /ˈhɪəseɪ/ · US /ˈhɪɹˌseɪ/ noun
Forms hearsays
- noun Information that was heard by one person about another that cannot be adequately substantiated. “based on hearsay”
- noun (law) Evidence based on the reports of others, which is normally inadmissible because it was not made under oath, rather than on personal knowledge. “dismiss hearsay”
- noun (law) An out-of-court statement offered in court to prove the truth of the matter asserted (or the in-court testimony which recites such a statement), which is normally inadmissible (because it is not subject to cross-examination) unless it falls under one of a number of exceptions.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English hyere-zigginge (1340), here sey (ca. 1438), from the phrase heren seien (“to hear [people] say”). Compare equally old Middle High German hœrsagen (14th c.), whence modern Hörensagen.
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “hearsay”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details