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Line drawing of onidiro
Coloured illustration of onidiro
#1242 of 5,000 Core 5000

Translation

rumour, hearsay

Word origin

A transparent Esperanto compound: oni ('one, people in general') plus diro ('a saying', from diri). A rumour is literally 'what people say'. Diri traces back through French dire to Latin dicere ('to say').

Origin
Esperanto compound, diri from Latin via French
Root
oni + diro
English cognates
dictate, diction

Examples

, .

That is only a rumour, not the truth.

.

A rumour travels quickly from mouth to mouth.

?

Have you heard the rumour about the new teacher?

wears its meaning on its sleeve: ('people say') packed into a noun. It is the standard word for gossip you cannot pin on anyone, which is exactly how gossip works.

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Esperanto · Free printables

onidiro: worksheet, infographic and listicle

Free printable study downloads for the Esperanto word "onidiro" (rumour, hearsay): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.

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This word is part of lesson 25.