language
a body of words and the systems for their use common to a people who are of the same community or nation, the same geographical area, or the same cultural tradition: the two languages of Belgium; a Bantu language; the French language; the Yiddish language.
communication by voice in the distinctively human manner, using arbitrary sounds in conventional ways with conventional meanings; speech.
the system of linguistic signs or symbols considered in the abstract (opposed to speech).
any set or system of such symbols as used in a more or less uniform fashion by a number of people, who are thus enabled to communicate intelligibly with one another.
any system of formalized symbols, signs, sounds, gestures, or the like used or conceived as a means of communicating thought, emotion, etc.: the language of mathematics; sign language.
the means of communication used by animals: the language of birds.
communication of meaning in any way; medium that is expressive, significant, etc.: the language of flowers; the language of art.
linguistics; the study of language.
a particular manner of verbal expression: flowery language.
choice of words or style of writing; diction: the language of poetry.
Computers. a set of characters and symbols and syntactic rules for their combination and use, by means of which a computer can be given directions: The language of many commercial application programs is COBOL.
a nation or people considered in terms of their speech.
Archaic. faculty or power of speech.
Origin of language
1synonym study For language
Other words for language
Other words from language
- pre·lan·guage, adjective
Words Nearby language
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use language in a sentence
Despite the strong language, however, the neither the JPO nor Lockheed could dispute a single fact in either Daily Beast report.
Some of them already are in Germany taking language lessons.
His first language was Russian, then he learned Swedish, but chooses to perform in monosyllabic broken English.
The Cult of Yung Lean: ‘I’m Building An Anarchistic Society From the Ground Up’ | Marlow Stern | January 4, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTWe also have a language filled with distaste for the civilian “others.”
A Veteran’s View: NYC Cold War Between Cops and City Hall | Matt Gallagher | December 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTDisagreements will focus on right and wrong, not parsing of legal language.
“Perhaps you do not speak my language,” she said in Urdu, the tongue most frequently heard in Upper India.
The Red Year | Louis TracyI would ask you to imagine it translated into every language, a common material of understanding throughout all the world.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation | H. G. (Herbert George) WellsAnd all over the world each language would be taught with the same accent and quantities and idioms—a very desirable thing indeed.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation | H. G. (Herbert George) WellsBut don't go hunting after them, there are still modern Immortals in the darkness of a forgotten language.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation | H. G. (Herbert George) WellsLight, the symbol of life's joy, seems to be the first language in which the spirit of beauty speaks to a child.
Children's Ways | James Sully
British Dictionary definitions for language
/ (ˈlæŋɡwɪdʒ) /
a system for the expression of thoughts, feelings, etc, by the use of spoken sounds or conventional symbols
the faculty for the use of such systems, which is a distinguishing characteristic of man as compared with other animals
the language of a particular nation or people: the French language
any other systematic or nonsystematic means of communicating, such as gesture or animal sounds: the language of love
the specialized vocabulary used by a particular group: medical language
a particular manner or style of verbal expression: your language is disgusting
computing See programming language
speak the same language to communicate with understanding because of common background, values, etc
Origin of language
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for language
[ lăng′gwĭj ]
A system of objects or symbols, such as sounds or character sequences, that can be combined in various ways following a set of rules, especially to communicate thoughts, feelings, or instructions. See also machine language programming language.
The set of patterns or structures produced by such a system.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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