hearsay; secondhand information; through the grapevine
Refers to information obtained indirectly from another person, not firsthand. Often used in phrases like 人づてに聞く (to hear from someone else).
I only heard that story secondhand, so I don't know the details.
Since it's hearsay, I'm not sure how much of it is true.
Standard spelling using づ for the rendaku form of つて (伝).
Alternate kanji spelling, less common but still encountered.
Search-only form; not standard modern spelling.
Compound of 人 (ひと, 'person') and 伝 (つて, 'means of communication, intermediary'), with rendaku voicing of つて to づて. The word literally means 'through a person' and has been used since at least the Edo period.