grapevine
grapevine Lexical Profile
grapevine Game Scores & Validity
• noun
An informal, unofficial person-to-person means of circulating news, gossip, or rumors.
"She heard through the office grapevine that the company was planning to open a new branch."
A woody climbing plant of the genus Vitis in the family Vitaceae, native primarily to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere and widely cultivated for its clusters of fleshy berries used for eating and winemaking.
"The old grapevine climbed up the wooden trellis and shaded the sunny patio."
A sideways dance or aerobic step in which one foot crosses alternately in front of and behind the other.
"The fitness instructor led the class through a brisk grapevine across the studio floor."
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in Middle English as a compound of 'grape' and 'vine'. The figurative sense of an informal rumor network arose in mid-19th-century America from 'grapevine telegraph', an allusion to the twisted, tangled appearance of telegraph wires.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.