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.
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Origin of dialect
First recorded in 1545–55; from Latin dialectus, from Greek diálektos “discourse, language, dialect,” equivalent to dialég(esthai) “to converse” (dia- “through, between” + légein “to speak”) + -tos verbal adjective suffix; see origin at dia-
synonym study for dialect
2. See language.
OTHER WORDS FROM dialect
sub·di·a·lect, nounWords nearby dialect
diagrammatic, diagraph, diakinesis, dial, dial down, dialect, dialectal, dialect atlas, dialect geography, dialectic, dialectical
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
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
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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