parlance
Americannoun
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a way or manner of speaking; vernacular; idiom.
legal parlance.
-
speech, especially a formal discussion or debate.
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talk; parley.
noun
-
a particular manner of speaking, esp when specialized; idiom
political parlance
-
archaic any discussion, such as a debate
Etymology
Origin of parlance
From Anglo-French, dating back to 1570–80; see origin at parle, -ance
Explanation
The noun parlance means the manner of speaking and using words. Your 15-year-old will tell you that you are definitely not fluent in the parlance of teenagers, no matter how cool you think you are. Parlance comes from the French word parler, meaning "to speak." The noun is often used to refer to the jargon or slang a certain group or industry uses. If you work in the sciences, you'll be familiar with the parlance of scientists and be familiar with such jargon as "goodness of fit" and "iff", which means "if and only if". But if you are not a scientist, you may stumble when you first come across such terms.
Vocabulary lists containing parlance
Just Mercy
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Twelve Years a Slave
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The Boys in the Boat
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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.
In the parlance of traditional genres, Andre’s 31-minute record would probably be shelved in the “Novelty” section.
From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026
That’s Wall Street parlance for $100, the “par” value of many bonds.
From Barron's • May 1, 2026
In the parlance of U.S. immigration law, “extraordinary ability” typically refers to Olympic athletes, top scientists or renowned artists.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 28, 2026
A clue to how quickly options traders thought the latest volatility spike could dissipate was seen in VIX futures, which remained below the VIX over recent sessions, a condition known in trader parlance as backwardation.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 22, 2026
We now know that Cepheids throb as they do because they are elderly stars that have moved past their "main sequence phase," in the parlance of astronomers, and become red giants.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
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.
