Yenta or Yente (יענטאַ) is a Yiddish female name which is used generically for an old gossip. The female name is derived from Yentl, in turn derived from a word in Old Italian which means kind or amiable. In the age of Yiddish theater, it started referring to a busybody or gossipmonger. The word has since become Yinglish (a Yiddish loanword ... Found on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yenta