Word of the Day

Quidnunc

Pronunciation

[kwid-nuhngk]

Part of speech

Noun

Origin

Latin, 1709

Definition(s)

A person who is eager to know the latest news and gossip; a gossip or busybody.

Used in a sentence
  1. He even becomes a quidnunc, prying now and then into the personal affairs of his superiors.
  2. We at last had a quorum of quidnuncs and enough material to while away a long lunch hour with the arrival of our other friend.

Did you know?

What's new? That's a question every busybody wants answered. Latin-speaking Nosey Parkers might have used some version of the expression "quid nunc," literally "what now," to ask the same question. Appropriately, the earliest documented English use of "quidnunc" to refer to a gossiper appeared in 1709 in Sir Richard Steele's famous periodical, The Tatler. Steele is far from the only writer to ply "quidnunc" in his prose, however. You also can find the word among the pages of works by such writers as Washington Irving and Nathaniel Hawthorne. But don't think the term is old news - it sees some use in current publications, too.

The Word of the Day can also be found in the following places:

Courtesy of Dictionary.com