Gazette

Gazette, an abstract of news, a newspaper. The word is derived, through the medium of French, from Italian gazzetta, 'a gazette,' which may have been originally a mere diminutive of gazza, 'magpie,' with the sense of 'gossip, tittle-tattle;' or, with greater likelihood, gazzetta, 'a small coin' (Gr. gaza, 'a treasury,' a word ultimately of Persian origin), the sum charged for a reading of the first Venetian newspaper, which appeared about 1536. The London Gazette is an official organ, the property of the government. It was founded in 1665, and appears twice a week. It is recognised by law as the medium of official and legal announcements, as also of many intimations with regard to private transactions which are required by law to be thus published, such as trust-deeds for creditors. Similar official gazettes are published at Edinburgh and Dublin. To be 'put in the gazette' is in Britain a popular synonym for becoming bankrupt.