hearsay

English

WOTD – 16 January 2016

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.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /hɪərseɪ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: hear‧say

Noun

hearsay (usually uncountable, plural hearsays)

1. Information that was heard by one person about another that cannot be adequately substantiated.
2. (law) Evidence based on the reports of others, which is normally inadmissible because it was not made under oath, rather than on personal knowledge.
3. (law) An out-of-court statement offered in court for the truth of the matter asserted, which is normally inadmissible because it is not subject to cross-examination unless the hearsay statement falls under one of a number of exceptions.

Synonyms

• gossip
• report
• rumor

Derived terms

• hearsay evidence
• double hearsay

Translations

information that was heard by one person about another

• Bikol Central: huring-huding
• Bulgarian: слух (bg) m (sluh), мълва́ (bg) f (mǎlvá)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 傳聞／传闻 (zh) (chuánwén), 風聞／风闻 (zh) (fēngwén)，流言 (zh) (liúyán)

• Czech: klep (cs), pověsti f pl, doslech m, zvěst z doslechu
• Dutch: van horen zeggen, gerucht (nl)
• Finnish: juoru (fi), kuulopuhe (fi)
• French: ouï-dire (fr) m, on-dit (fr) m, rumeur (fr) f
• German: Hörensagen (de) n, Gerücht (de) n
• Hungarian: hallomás (hu), mendemonda (hu)
• Irish: scéal scéil m
• Italian: sentito dire, diceria (it) f, pettegolezzo (it) m
• Japanese: 伝聞 (ja) (でんぶん, denbun), うわさ (ja) (uwasa)
• Korean: 전문(傳聞) (ko) (jeonmun), 소문(所聞) (ko) (somun)
• Latin: audītiō, rūmor m
• Macedonian: слух m (sluh), гла́сина f (glásina)
• Maori: tūtara
• Navajo: jiní jiní
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: rykte (no) n

• Ottoman Turkish: تواتر (tevâtür)
• Persian: شنیده (fa) (šenide)
• Polish: pogłoska (pl) f, plotka (pl) f
• Portuguese: diz que diz m, diz que diz que m, boato (pt) m
• Russian: информа́ция из вторы́х рук f (informácija iz vtorýx ruk), молва́ (ru) f (molvá), слух (ru) m (slux), то́лки (ru) m pl (tólki)
• Scottish Gaelic: fathann m
• Spanish: rumores (es) m pl, habladurías (es) f pl, habladuría (es) f
• Swedish: hörsägen (sv) c
• Tagalog: sabi-sabi, kuwentong-barbero
• Welsh: achlust (cy) m

(law) evidence based on the reports of others rather than on personal knowledge

• Dutch: testimonium de auditu n
• Finnish: kuulopuhe (fi)
• French: ouï-dire (fr) m, on-dit (fr) m
• Georgian: ჩვენება სხვისი ნათქვამიდან (čveneba sxvisi natkvamidan), ჩვენება, დაფუძნებული გაგონილზე (čveneba, dapuʒnebuli gagonilze), სხვის სიტყვებზე დამყარებული ჩვენება (sxvis siṭq̇vebze damq̇arebuli čveneba), ჩვენება სხვისი სიტყვების მიხედვით (čveneba sxvisi siṭq̇vebis mixedvit)
• German: Hörensagen (de) n
• Irish: scéal scéil m
• Italian: sentita persona
• Polish: pogłoska (pl)
• Portuguese: testemunho de ouvidos
• Russian: показа́ния с чужи́х слов n pl (pokazánija s čužíx slov)
• Spanish: pruebas de oídas f, testimonio de oídas m, evidencia por oídas f

(law) an out-of-court statement offered in court for the truth of the matter asserted

• Dutch: de-audituverklaring f
• French: ouï-dire (fr) m

See also

• as they say
• hear
• hear tell
• so they say
• you know what they say

Further reading

• “hearsay”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “hearsay”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.