'rumor-linked' is a Modern English compound formed from 'rumor' + 'linked'. 'rumor' ultimately originates from Latin 'rumor' meaning 'noise, gossip', while 'link' is from the Germanic/Old English word for a connection or bond, later forming the verb 'to link' and its past participle 'linked'.

'rumor' passed into English via Old French 'rumour' and Middle English 'rumour'; 'link' (and its verb forms) comes from older Germanic roots and Old/Middle English forms meaning a connection. The compound 'rumor-linked' arose in Modern English by combining the noun 'rumor' with the past participle 'linked' to describe something associated with a rumor.

The component words originally referred to 'noise/gossip' (rumor) and a 'connection' (link). Over time, combining them produced the modern sense 'connected to a rumor' used adjectivally.