hearsay

nounattested in dialogue

United Kingdom//ˈhɪəseɪ//
Canada//ˈhɪɹˌseɪ//
Australia//ˈhɪəsæɪ//

Information that was heard by one person about another that cannot be adequately substantiated.

noun

1
Information that was heard by one person about another that cannot be adequately substantiated.
based on hearsay
The story turned out to be nothing but hearsay.
2
Evidence based on the reports of others, which is normally inadmissible because it was not made under oath, rather than on personal knowledge.
dismiss hearsay
The judge ruled the testimony as mere hearsay.
3
An out-of-court statement offered in court to prove the truth of the matter asserted (or the in-court testimony which recites such a statement), which is normally inadmissible (because it is not subject to cross-examination) unless it falls under one of a number of exceptions.

Etymology

From Middle English hyere-zigginge (1340), here sey (ca. 1438), from the phrase heren seien (“to hear [people] say”). Compare equally old Middle High German hœrsagen (14th c.), whence modern Hörensagen.

Forms

plural: hearsays

heard · That has been perceived aurally.Heard · A surname.hearing · Able to hear, as opposed to deaf.

hearsay · Information that was heard by one person about another that cannot be adequately substantiated.

hearse · A framework of wood or metal placed over the coffin or tomb…hearst · A hind in her second or third year.Hearst · A surname.

The neighbouring pages — Alphabetical order follows the rules of the language, not byte values: an accent decides only between two otherwise identical words, and Spanish files Ñ as a letter of its own.