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cryptolect

American  
[krip-tuh-lekt, krip-toh-] / ˈkrɪp təˌlɛkt, ˈkrɪp toʊ- /

noun

plural

cryptolects

  1. Linguistics. a particular variety of a language that is used only by members of a specific social group or subculture, often deliberately kept secret to exclude outsiders.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But it could be considered a cryptolect: a secretive exclusive language, designed to exclude, in this case, oiks.

From The Guardian • Apr. 8, 2016

Calunga, an Afro-Brazilian cryptolect spoken only by men, preserves a large number of Bantu-derived words brought to Brazil by slaves from Angola.

From Slate • Dec. 5, 2013

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.