Emily Dickinson Lexicon

rumor (-'s), n. [OFr < L. 'noise, din.']

1. Tale; myth; yarn; story; gossip; account; anecdote; narrative; hearsay; small talk; popular report; current story passing from one person to another, without any known authority for the truth of it.
2. Omen; forecast; portent.
3. Signal; rumination; [fig.] vibration; oscillation.
4. Secret; mystery; [personification] oracle; reporter; one who disseminates information; classical goddess of fame, gossip, notoriety, and so forth.