Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 11th Edition
RUMOR
I. noun
Etymology: Middle English rumour, from Anglo-French, from Latin rumor clamor, gossip; akin to Old English rēon to lament, Sanskrit rauti he roars
Date: 14th century
talk or opinion widely disseminated with no discernible source, a statement or report current without known authority for its truth, talk or report of a notable person or event, a soft low indistinct sound ; murmur ,
II. transitive verb (rumored; rumoring)
Date: 1594
to tell or spread by rumor