Word of the day: Quidnunc

Quidnunc

[KWID-nəNGk]

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Latin, 18th century

An inquisitive and gossipy person.

Examples of quidnunc in a sentence

"If you want to know what’s happening in your neighborhood, invite your local quidnunc over for coffee."

"Jorge’s habit of asking lots of questions in the breakroom earned him a reputation as a bit of a quidnunc."

About Quidnunc

“Quidnunc” is a compression of a Latin question, “Quid nunc?”, meaning “What now?” Curious to hear the latest gossip, an inquisitive person might ask a version of the question “what now?”

Did you Know?

A series of recent studies has busted the myth that women are more likely to be quidnuncs than men. Most people, it turns out, gossip about 52 minutes a day. Gossip tends to be nonjudgmental, rather than negative, but a quidnunc is a person who engages in gossip more frequently or blatantly than average. The term came about from the Latin question “quid nunc?,” or “what now?”