Explore the origins and etymology of words and phrases used in the English language
Word of the Day
/bruːt/
[verb] To spread a report or rumour widely; to make something known by talking about it openly. When news or gossip is 'bruited about,' it means many people are hearing and repeating it.
This word for spreading rumours is literally rooted in the medieval French word for 'noise' — and before that, the howling of animals.
The word 'bruit' carries the sound of old streets and whispered corners with it, arriving in English in the 15th century from the Old French noun 'bruit,' meaning 'noise,' 'rumour,' or 'report.' This Old French word came from the verb 'bruire,' meaning 'to roar' or 'to make a noise,' which itself descended from a Vulgar Latin form *'brogere' or *'bragere,' likely blended with the Latin 'rugire,' meaning 'to roar' — the sound a lion or the ocean might make. At its heart, then, 'bruit' is a word about raw, uncontrolled sound.…
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