The Hebrew noun mishma means that which is heard, a report, or a rumor. It derives from the root shama (to hear) and describes news that spreads by hearing from person to person. It appears as both a common noun and a proper name (son of Ishmael, Genesis 25:14).
In a pre-print, oral culture, the mishma — the heard report — was the primary means of information transmission. The theology of hearing runs deep in Scripture: Israel was constituted as a people by "hearing" (Deuteronomy 6:4 — Shema). What one reports and what one hears shapes community and character. Proverbs warns repeatedly about spreading harmful reports; Isaiah declares the Servant as one who makes His "hearing" attractive to the weary (Isaiah 50:4). The gospel itself is a mishma — good news heard and spread.