French word

ragot

Pronunciation

IPA/ʁago/

Meaning

  • masculine noungossip

Example

Les ragots se répandent vite.

Gossip spreads quickly.

Illustration for ragot (gossip)

More examples

Ne diffuse pas un ragot sans vérifier.

Don't spread a rumor without checking.

Core concept

A short, malicious story passed from mouth to mouth within a social circle.

Common phrases

  • faire courir des ragots

    spread gossip

  • un ragot malveillant

    a malicious rumor

  • des ragots infondés

    unfounded rumors

Similar words

potin: Lighthearted gossip passed between people for entertainment.
rumeur: A widely circulated rumor based on information of uncertain truth.
commérage: Private gossip about someone's life or shortcomings shared behind their back.
calomnie: False statements made to harm another person's reputation.

Definition in French

Commérage bref et souvent malveillant au sujet d'une personne, diffusé oralement dans un cercle social.

Word origin

The deeper origin of ragot is uncertain, but the noun predates ragoter, a verb formed from it for spreading malicious talk.

Usage tips

  • Ragot is strongly negative, unlike English gossip, which can also refer to neutral social news.

Opposites

Related words

  • ragotergossipverb
  • ragotagegossipingnoun

Word lists with this word