idiom
[ id-ee-uh m ]
/ ˈɪd i əm /
noun
an expression whose meaning is not predictable from the usual meanings of its constituent elements, as kick the bucket or hang one's head, or from the general grammatical rules of a language, as the table round for the round table, and that is not a constituent of a larger expression of like characteristics.
a language, dialect, or style of speaking peculiar to a people.
a construction or expression of one language whose parts correspond to elements in another language but whose total structure or meaning is not matched in the same way in the second language.
the peculiar character or genius of a language.
a distinct style or character, in music, art, etc.: the idiom of Bach.
Origin of idiom
1565–75; < Latin
idiōma < Greek
idíōma peculiarity, specific property equivalent to
idiō- (variant stem of
idioûsthai to make one's own, appropriate, verbal derivative of
idiós; see
idio-) +
-ma noun suffix of result
Words nearby idiom
Example sentences from the Web for idioms
British Dictionary definitions for idioms
idiom
/ (ˈɪdɪəm) /
noun
a group of words whose meaning cannot be predicted from the meanings of the constituent words, as for example (It was raining) cats and dogs
linguistic usage that is grammatical and natural to native speakers of a language
the characteristic vocabulary or usage of a specific human group or subject
the characteristic artistic style of an individual, school, period, etc
Derived forms of idiom
idiomatic (ˌɪdɪəˈmætɪk) or idiomatical, adjective idiomatically, adverb idiomaticalness, nounWord Origin for idiom
C16: from Latin
idiōma peculiarity of language, from Greek; see
idio-
Cultural definitions for idioms
idiom
A traditional way of saying something. Often an idiom, such as “under the weather,” does not seem to make sense if taken literally. Someone unfamiliar with English idioms would probably not understand that to be “under the weather” is to be sick. (See examples under “Idioms.”)