English Explanatory Dictionary

language

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A body of words, and set of methods of combining them (called a grammar), understood by a community and used as a form of communication.
  2. The ability to communicate using words.
  3. A sublanguage: the slang of a particular community or jargon of a particular specialist field.
  4. The specific wording or style of a text, such as a law or a contract.
  5. The expression of thought (the communication of meaning) in a specified way; that which communicates something, as language does.
  6. A body of sounds, signs or signals by which animals communicate, and by which plants are sometimes also thought to communicate.
  7. A computer language; a machine language.
  8. A manner of expression.
  9. The particular words used in a speech or a passage of text.
  10. Profanity.
verb
  1. To communicate by language; to express in language.
intj
  1. An admonishment said in response to someone using vulgar language during a conversation.
noun
  1. A languet, a flat plate in or below the flue pipe of an organ.

Pronunciation

/ˈlæŋ.ɡwɪd͡ʒ/ /ˈleɪ̯ŋ.ɡwɪd͡ʒ/ /ˈlɛ̃ŋ.ɡwɪd͡ʒ/ en-us-language.ogg /ˈlɛŋ.ɡwɘd͡ʒ/ /ˈlæŋɡ.weːd͡ʒ/

Word forms

language languages languaging languaged

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dn̥ǵʰwéh₂s Proto-Italic *denɣwā Latin dingua Latin lingua Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂tos Proto-Italic *-ātos Vulgar Latin -ātus Proto-Indo-European *-ikos Proto-Italic *-ikos Vulgar Latin -icus Vulgar Latin -āticus Vulgar Latin -āticum Vulgar Latin *linguāticum Old French languagebor. Middle English langage English language From Middle English langage, language, from Old French language, from Vulgar Latin *linguāticum, from Latin lingua (“tongue, speech, language”), from Old Latin dingua (“tongue”), from Proto-Indo-European *dn̥ǵʰwéh₂s (“tongue, speech, language”). Doublet of langaj. Displaced native Old English ġeþēode.

Synonyms

computer language programming language machine language language leid lingo speech tongue jargon wording

Related words

langue lingua lingua franca linguine tonguage linguistics languoid bilingual lexis multilingual term trilingual word

Derived words

AB language abstract language A language a language is a dialect with an army and navy altlang antilanguage artlang aspect-oriented language aspect-oriented programming language assembler language assembly language Auslan auxlang bilanguage B language cache language model camouflanguage child language C language class-based language classical language clean language colanguage Community language conditional assembly language conlang contact language context-free language counterlanguage cryptolanguage curly-brace language curly-braces language curly-bracket language cyberlanguage daughter language delegation language design language domain-specific language Dyck language dynamic language e-language learning engelang English-language epilanguage equity language esoteric programming language expressive language finger language first language German-language ghost language good language hand language heritage language high-level language home language imperative language indexing language interlanguage intermediate language
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