lingo
1 Americannoun
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the language and speech, especially the jargon, slang, or argot, of a particular field, group, or individual.
gamblers' lingo.
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language or speech, especially if strange or foreign.
noun
noun
Etymology
Origin of lingo
1650–60; apparently alteration of lingua (franca); compare Polari lingo “language”
Explanation
Lingo is a way of speaking that's shared by a particular group of people — it's their own personal slang or jargon. You might observe International Talk Like a Pirate Day by trying to speak only pirate lingo. Sometimes people refer to the language or dialect spoken in a place as its lingo: "I'd love to visit Paris, but I don't speak the lingo." You're more likely to hear lingo in the context of the words and phrases one group understands, but that outsiders might not, like computer lingo or English major lingo, or musician's lingo. Lingo shares a Latin root, lingua, or "tongue," with words like language and linguist.
Vocabulary lists containing lingo
Vivacious Vernacular: Words About Slang
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Wink
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Merle Haggard (1937-2016) Tribute List
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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.
The charges against Kramer were announced the same day the FCC proposed its fine, along with a $2 million fine against Lingo Telecom, the company accused of transmitting the calls.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 5, 2024
The proposed fines were the agency’s first involving generative AI technology, but Lingo Telecom said it strongly disagreed with the FCC’s action, which it called an attempt to impose new rules retroactively.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 5, 2024
On Feb. 6, 2024, New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella identified two Texas companies, Life Corp. and Lingo Telecom, as the source and transmitter, respectively, of the call.
From Salon • Feb. 9, 2024
Lingo like “86” — which means the kitchen is out of a particular dish — might as well be a new language.
From New York Times • May 30, 2023
Sheriff Clark and Colonel Lingo sat in a car nearby.
From "Because They Marched" by Russell Freedman
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.
