tittle-tattle
noun, verb
Forms tittle-tattles tittle-tattling tittle-tattled
- noun (uncountable) Petty, idle gossip.
- noun An idle, trifling talker; a gossip.
- verb To engage in gossip.
- verb To spread gossip.
Synonyms
chitchat chit-chat chit chat small talk gab gabfest gossip chin wag chin-wag chin wagging chin-wagging causerie chatter piffle palaver prate twaddle clack maunder prattle blab gibber tattle blabber gabble
Etymology
Reduplication of tattle.
Webster’s 1913
- noun Idle, trifling talk; empty prattle. Arbuthnot.
- noun An idle, trifling talker; a gossip. [R.] Tatler.
- verb To talk idly; to prate. Shak.
Etymology [A reduplication of tattle.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “tittle-tattle”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details