jargon

[ jahr-guhn, -gon ]

/ ˈdʒɑr gən, -gɒn /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR jargon ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the language, especially the vocabulary, peculiar to a particular trade, profession, or group: medical jargon.

unintelligible or meaningless talk or writing; gibberish.

any talk or writing that one does not understand.

pidgin.

language that is characterized by uncommon or pretentious vocabulary and convoluted syntax and is often vague in meaning.

verb (used without object)

to speak in or write jargon; jargonize.

VIDEO FOR JARGON

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Every industry has its own jargon ... have you ever been overwhelmed with the words and phrases at a new job?

Origin of jargon

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English jargoun, from Middle French; Old French jargon, gargun, derivative of an unattested expressive base *garg-; see gargle, gargoyle

SYNONYMS FOR jargon

2 babble, gabble, twaddle.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR jargon ON THESAURUS.COM

synonym study for jargon

1. See language.

OTHER WORDS FROM jargon

jar·gon·y, jar·gon·is·tic, adjective jar·gon·ist, jar·gon·eer, noun

Words nearby jargon

jardiniere, jardinière, jared, jaredite, jarful, jargon, jargon aphasia, jargonize, jarhead, jarisch-herxheimer reaction, jarl

Definition for jargon (2 of 2)

jargon ²

[ jahr-gon ]

/ ˈdʒɑr gɒn /

noun

a colorless to smoky gem variety of zircon.

Also jar·goon

[jahr-goon] /dʒɑrˈgun/.

Origin of jargon

1760–70; < French < Italian giargone ≪ Persian zargūn gold-colored

Example sentences from the Web for jargon

Above all, she felt, there was a more pressing need for it than ever before, with jargon steadily taking over the world.

Will Jargon Be the Death of the English Language? |The Telegraph |March 30, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
This piece of jargon is pretty common on mainstream movie sets: “director of photography,” or head cinematographer.

Six Words That Mean Something VERY Different to Porn Stars |Aurora Snow |March 29, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
Next up, in the Mother of All Disasters trifecta, another deadly piece of jargon: liquefaction.

Hurricane Sandy Will Be Dwarfed by an Earthquake |Winston Ross |November 5, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
Elections make sense; central-bank announcements replete with jargon, arcane policies, and acronyms do not stir souls.

Mario Draghi May Become the Man Who Saved Europe—and the World |Zachary Karabell |September 7, 2012 |DAILY BEAST

Koon: Buffed out is jargon that I have come to associate with very muscular.

L.A. Riots Anniversary: Stacey Koon’s Disturbing Testimony |Christine Pelisek |April 28, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
This language, or jargon, known as Shelta, has been the subject of much learned writing.

The Gypsy's Parson |George Hall
Fear of death is, in brief, part of the jargon of priestcraft.

A Grammar of Freethought |Chapman Cohen
The stern and simple trapper loved the sound of the waters better than the jargon of the French of the old country.

Burlesques |William Makepeace Thackeray
I had been here long enough to understand most of their jargon.

The Wonder Island Boys: Treasures of the Island |Roger Thompson Finlay
If your language be jargon, your intellect, if not your whole character, will almost certainly correspond.

How To Write Special Feature Articles |Willard Grosvenor Bleyer

British Dictionary definitions for jargon (1 of 2)

jargon ¹

/ (ˈdʒɑːɡən) /

noun

specialized language concerned with a particular subject, culture, or profession

language characterized by pretentious syntax, vocabulary, or meaning

gibberish

another word for pidgin

verb

(intr) to use or speak in jargon

Word Origin for jargon

C14: from Old French, perhaps of imitative origin; see gargle

British Dictionary definitions for jargon (2 of 2)

jargon ²

jargoon (dʒɑːˈɡuːn)

/ (ˈdʒɑːɡɒn) /

noun

mineralogy rare a golden yellow, smoky, or colourless variety of zircon

Word Origin for jargon

C18: from French, from Italian giargone, ultimately from Persian zargūn of the golden colour; see zircon

Cultural definitions for jargon

jargon

A special language belonging exclusively to a group, often a profession. Engineers, lawyers, doctors, tax analysts, and the like all use jargon to exchange complex information efficiently. Jargon is often unintelligible to those outside the group that uses it. For example, here is a passage from a computer manual with the jargon italicized: “The RZ887-x current loop interface allows the computer to use a centronics blocked duplex protocol.” (See slang.)

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

jargon