jargonize

American  

[jahr-guh-nahyz] / ˈdʒɑr gəˌnaɪz /

especially British, jargonise

verb (used without object)

jargonized, jargonizing

1. to talk jargon or a jargon.

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verb (used with object)

jargonized, jargonizing

1. to translate into jargon.

jargonize British  

/ ˈdʒɑːɡəˌnaɪz /

verb

1. (tr) to translate into jargon

2. (intr) to talk in jargon

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Other Word Forms

• jargonization noun

Etymology

Origin of jargonize

First recorded in 1795–1805; jargon ¹ + -ize

Explanation

People jargonize when they take an ordinary word or phrase and make it sound more technical or specialized, transforming it into something that only those in certain professions can understand. Sometimes, jargonizing changes vague words into more specific and clear ones, especially to people in the same field. One example is taking the message "do it quickly, it's important," and turning into the emergency room term "stat." However, jargonizing is often annoying, with the jargon repeated so often that it becomes meaningless. In corporate environments, phrases like "let's put a pin in it" or "it's like herding cats" simply mean "let's come back to that later" and "it's really difficult."