pidgin English
Americannoun
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a pidgin language based on English formerly used in commerce in Chinese ports.
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a similar language used in other areas, such as Papua New Guinea (where it has semiofficial status) and parts of West Africa.
noun
Etymology
Origin of pidgin English
1820–30; pidgin, pigeon < Chinese Pidgin English: business, affair; etymology uncertain, but often alleged to be Chin pronunciation of business
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.
“It is time that this suffering ends for us all. This is what brought me here,” he said in pidgin English.
From Reuters • Oct. 5, 2021
While walking through a mall in Accra, he overheard a couple chatting in the pidgin English spoken by Cameroon’s Anglophone population and immediately introduced himself.
From The Verge • Sep. 8, 2020
He reflected their ability to switch from simple English, to bombast, to peer-group slang, to pidgin English and native language.
From BBC • Feb. 7, 2020
In addition to being suspenseful, “The Missing American” is wonderfully atmospheric, with people speaking mostly colloquial English, but also pidgin English and local dialects.
From Washington Post • Jan. 24, 2020
All this time Malcolm had heard Lyra and her little dæmon chattering away in their pidgin English.
From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman
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.
