lingo

¹ American  

[ling-goh] / ˈlɪŋ goʊ /

noun

plural

lingoes

1. the language and speech, especially the jargon, slang, or argot, of a particular field, group, or individual.

   gamblers' lingo.

2. language or speech, especially if strange or foreign.

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lingo ² American  

[ling-goh] / ˈlɪŋ goʊ /

noun

plural

lingoes

1. lingoe.

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lingo British  

/ ˈlɪŋɡəʊ /

noun

1. informal any foreign or unfamiliar language, jargon, etc

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Etymology

Origin of lingo

1650–60; apparently alteration of lingua (franca); compare Polari lingo “language”

Example Sentences

We didn’t have our own lingo and mall culture, like they did in the Valley.

From Los Angeles Times

He's poured a metaphorical can of Australian beer over the novel by converting Tolstoy's prose into a lingo that wouldn't sound out of place in the popular Aussie sitcom Kath & Kim.

From BBC

When you started at Google in 2015, having just left Morgan Stanley, how confusing was the lingo, given your background in finance?

From The Wall Street Journal

If someone is using surfer lingo after the game — stoked! — you’ll know it was a good night for the Breakers.

From Los Angeles Times

A few of these reports have included amusing “to be sure” paragraphs, to use trade lingo: brief acknowledgments of some contrary argument or analogous trend.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• argot
• jargon
• patois
• slang
• vernacular
• vocabulary