grapevine

/ˌgreɪpˈvaɪn/

/ˈgreɪpvaɪn/

Other forms: grapevines

The grapevine is a word for gossip. Anything heard on the grapevine was learned by word of mouth.

In the Civil War, a grapevine telegraph was a gadget used for communicating. From there, people started talking about "the grapevine" as a source of information, especially gossip. If you heard from a friend of a friend that another friend is getting married, you heard it on the grapevine. If your cousin's cousin told you about a family scandal, you heard it on the grapevine. The grapevine is unofficial and full of hearsay: what you hear might not be accurate.

Definitions of grapevine

1. noun

   gossip spread by spoken communication
   synonyms: pipeline, word of mouth

   type of:

   comment, gossip, scuttlebutt

   a report (often malicious) about the behavior of other people
2. noun

   any of numerous woody vines of genus Vitis bearing clusters of edible berries
   synonyms: grape, grape vine

   types:

   Vitis labrusca, fox grape

   native grape of northeastern United States; origin of many cultivated varieties e.g. Concord grapes

   Vitis rotundifolia, muscadine

   native grape of southeastern United States; origin of many cultivated varieties

   Vitis vinifera, common grape vine, vinifera, vinifera grape

   common European grape cultivated in many varieties; chief source of Old World wine and table grapes

   Chardonnay, chardonnay grape

   white wine grape

   Pinot, Pinot grape

   any of several purple or white wine grapes used especially for Burgundies and champagnes

   Sauvignon grape

   small blue-black grape of Medoc region of France highly prized in winemaking

   Cabernet Sauvignon grape

   superior red wine grapes grown especially in the Bordeaux region of France and northern California

   Sauvignon blanc

   white wine grape grown in California

   Merlot

   black wine grape originally from the region of Bordeaux

   Muscadet

   white grape grown especially in the valley the Loire in France

   Riesling

   white grape grown in Europe and California

   Zinfandel

   small black grape grown chiefly in California; transplanted from Europe

   Chenin blanc

   white grape grown especially in California and the lower Loire valley of France

   malvasia

   used to make malmsey wine

   muscat, muskat

   any of several cultivated grapevines that produce sweet white grapes

   Verdicchio

   a variety of white wine grape grown in Italy

   type of:

   vine

   a plant with a weak stem that derives support from climbing, twining, or creeping along a surface