Rumor

A rumor (American English), or rumour (British English; see spelling differences; derived from Latin rumorem 'noise'), is "a tall tale of explanations of events circulating from person to person and pertaining to an object, event, or issue in public concern."^[1]

In the social sciences, a rumor involves a form of a statement whose veracity is not quickly or ever confirmed. In addition, some scholars have identified rumor as a subset of propaganda. Sociology, psychology, and communication studies have widely varying definitions of rumor.^[2]

Rumors are also often discussed with regard to misinformation and disinformation (the former often seen as simply false and the latter seen as deliberately false, though usually from a government source given to the media or a foreign government).^[3]

^ Peterson, Warren; Gist, Noel (September 1951). "Rumor and Public Opinion". The American Journal of Sociology. 57 (2): 159–167. doi:10.1086/220916. JSTOR 2772077. S2CID 144746516.
^ Pendleton, S.C. (1998), 'Rumor research revisited and expanded', Language & Communication, vol. 1. no. 18, pp. 69–86.
^ from Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., 1989

[definition-1] Peterson, Warren; Gist, Noel (September 1951). "Rumor and Public Opinion". The American Journal of Sociology. 57 (2): 159–167. doi:10.1086/220916. JSTOR 2772077. S2CID 144746516.

[2] Pendleton, S.C. (1998), 'Rumor research revisited and expanded', Language & Communication, vol. 1. no. 18, pp. 69–86.

[3] rom Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., 1989

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