quidnunc

[ kwid-nuhngk ]

/ ˈkwɪdˌnʌŋk /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR quidnunc ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

RELATED WORDS

rumormonger, gossip, busybody

Nearby words

Origin of quidnunc

First recorded in 1700–10, quidnunc is from the Latin word quid nunc what now?

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for quidnunc

He even becomes a quidnunc, prying now and then into the personal affairs of his superiors.
The Book of Khalid|Ameen Rihani
I went my way home and to bed, but was not done with Quidnunc.
Lore of Proserpine|Maurice Hewlett
They call him Quidnunc—Mister Quidnunc, too, and don't you forget it.
Lore of Proserpine|Maurice Hewlett
Quidnunc, no doubt, was the father of Lady Emily's children; but were those children human?
Lore of Proserpine|Maurice Hewlett

Quidnunc, kwid′nungk, n. one always on the lookout for news: one who pretends to know all occurrences.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R)|Various

British Dictionary definitions for quidnunc

quidnunc

/ (ˈkwɪdˌnʌŋk) /

noun

a person eager to learn news and scandal; gossipmonger

Word Origin for quidnunc

C18: from Latin, literally: what now

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for quidnunc

quidnunc

"gossip-monger," 1709, formed from Latin quid "what?" (neuter of interrogative pronoun quis "who?;" see who) and nunc "now" (see now), to describe someone forever asking "What's the news?"