Debbie Gale’s Reviews > Witches, Witch-Hunting, and Women > Status Update

On how the meaning of the word “gossip” changed: “Deriving from the Old English terms God and sibb (akin), ‘gossip’ originally meant ‘godparent… the term was used with a broader meaning. In early modern England the word ‘gossip’ referred to companions in childbirth not limited to the midwife…. gossip’ turned from a word of friendship and affection into a word of denigration and ridicule“