dialect
[ dahy-uh-lekt ]
/ ˈdaɪ əˌlɛkt /
noun
Linguistics.
a variety of a language that is distinguished from other varieties of the same language by features of phonology, grammar, and vocabulary, and by its use by a group of speakers who are set off from others geographically or socially.
a provincial, rural, or socially distinct variety of a language that differs from the standard language, especially when considered as substandard.
a special variety of a language: The literary dialect is usually taken as the standard language.
a language considered as one of a group that have a common ancestor: Persian, Latin, and English are Indo-European dialects.
jargon or cant.
Origin of dialect
1545–55; < Latin
dialectus < Greek
diálektos discourse, language, dialect, equivalent to
dialég(esthai) to converse (
dia-
dia- +
légein to speak) +
-tos verbal adjective suffix
OTHER WORDS FROM dialect
sub·di·a·lect, nounWords nearby dialect
dial gauge,
dial tone,
dial train,
dial-up,
dial.,
dialect,
dialect atlas,
dialect geography,
dialectal,
dialectic,
dialectical
Example sentences from the Web for dialect
British Dictionary definitions for dialect
dialect
/ (ˈdaɪəˌlɛkt) /
noun
- a form of a language spoken in a particular geographical area or by members of a particular social class or occupational group, distinguished by its vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation
- a form of a language that is considered inferiorthe farmer spoke dialect and was despised by the merchants
- (as modifier)a dialect word
Derived forms of dialect
dialectal, adjectiveWord Origin for dialect
C16: from Latin
dialectus, from Greek
dialektos speech, dialect, discourse, from
dialegesthai to converse, from
legein to talk, speak