The behavior, practice, or instances of engaging in gossip; gossip as a category of activity.
From 'gossip' + '-ry' suffix (Old French -erie). The '-ry' suffix transforms verbs and nouns into abstract nouns representing habits, practices, or collections of behavior.
The word 'gossipry' appears rarely in modern English, but it reveals how language once had many more options for turning actions into categories—similar to how '-dom' created 'kingdom' and 'boredom.'
Abstract noun form (like 'mockery', 'trickery') that institutionalizes gossip as a field or practice. Carries gendered stigma as a distinctly feminine domain of frivolous or malicious talk.
Use specific terms: 'rumor-spreading', 'conversation', 'information-sharing' depending on context. Avoid the dismissive abstraction.
["rumor-spreading","conversation","information-sharing"]
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