vernacular

[ ver-nak-yuh-ler, vuh-nak- ]

/ vərˈnæk yə lər, vəˈnæk- /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR vernacular

adjective

(of language) native to a place (opposed to literary).

expressed or written in the native language of a place, as literary works: a vernacular poem.

using such a language: a vernacular speaker.

of or relating to such a language.

using plain, everyday, ordinary language.

of, relating to, or characteristic of architectural vernacular.

noting or pertaining to the common name for a plant or animal.

Obsolete. (of a disease) endemic.

noun

the native speech or language of a place.

the language or vocabulary peculiar to a class or profession.

a vernacular word or expression.

the plain variety of language in everyday use by ordinary people.

the common name of an animal or plant as distinguished from its Latin scientific name.

a style of architecture exemplifying the commonest techniques, decorative features, and materials of a particular historical period, region, or group of people.

any medium or mode of expression that reflects popular taste or local styles.

QUIZZES

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Even if you can't be a professional chef, you can at least talk like one with this vocabulary quiz.

Question 1 of 9

You may have read the word "simmer" in a recipe or two, but what does it really mean?

To cook in water that begins cold and then reaches a boil.

To stew in a sauce for a long time.

To cook in water, just below boiling temperature.

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Origin of vernacular

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin vernācul(us), “household, domestic, native” (apparently adjective use of vernāculus, diminutive of verna “slave born in the master's household”; further origin uncertain) + -ar¹

synonym study for vernacular

9, 10. See language.

OTHER WORDS FROM vernacular

ver·nac·u·lar·ly, adverbnon·ver·nac·u·lar, adjective

Words nearby vernacular

Vermonter, vermouth, vermouth cassis, Vern, Verna, vernacular, vernacularism, vernacularize, vernal, vernal conjunctivitis, vernal equinox

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for vernacular

A millennial who came to South Korea 10 years ago, she has adapted her accent and vernacular to sound like a local, including using the ubiquitous English loanwords that are never used in North Korea.
The North Koreans Who Escape Back Home|Fiona Zublin|October 14, 2020|Ozy
The concept in science is a bit different than the everyday vernacular.
How Machine Learning Made Hops-Free Hoppy Beer (and Other SynBio Wonders) Possible|Shelly Fan|October 6, 2020|Singularity Hub
Such wide-reaching adoption is possible because language models, the engines behind natural language processing, can be trained to learn a specific vernacular.
From support function to growth engine: The future of AI and customer service|Jason Sparapani|September 17, 2020|MIT Technology Review
These companies have been in a four-year race to gather data in local languages, develop chatbots and voice recognition tools, and help businesses communicate with customers in their own vernacular.
Millions of Indians are getting connected to an internet they can’t use|Nicolás Rivero|September 10, 2020|Quartz

Seeing the opportunity to cash in on TikTok’s audience, vernacular language social network platform ShareChat launched Moj, entertainment company Zee5 released HiPi, and music-streaming giant Gaana created HotShots.
Indian TikTok copycats are hardly a match for the real deal|Ananya Bhattacharya|August 20, 2020|Quartz
And every word has a definition, even if the phrase is viewed as one way in the vernacular.
MH370: How Do Insurers Put a Price on Life?|Daniel Gross|March 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was amusing, it was in my vernacular, and the atmosphere held great emotional resonance for me.
Woody Allen's Favorite Books|FiveBooks|May 6, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Anytime boys, even girls, use femininity as a vernacular people are judged harshly.
The Queen of Queens|Rachel Syme|March 16, 2009|DAILY BEAST
“ Larging it,” is the term of art, just one of the pieces of Brit-lad vernacular that animates these pages.
The Sound of Violence|Taylor Antrim|February 17, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Note as well their wily use of the word "stuff"—a bit of vernacular so the message doesn't get too grandiloquent.
De Beers: Diamonds Are a Recession's Best Friend|Adam Hanft|December 6, 2008|DAILY BEAST
Did she ever express to you any fear that he might do something, and I use the vernacular again, crazy?
Warren Commission (9 of 26): Hearings Vol. IX (of 15)|The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
Profanity is indulged in to a considerable extent, and in some places seems the vernacular language.
The History of Prostitution|William W. Sanger
Much uncertainty prevails on the question when the first sermons in French vernacular were formally composed, and by whom.
The Flourishing of Romance and the Rise of Allegory|George Saintsbury
But even these remains, important and interesting as they are, may not be called the beginning of a vernacular literature.
Library Of The World's Best Literature, Ancient And Modern, Vol. 2|Charles Dudley Warner
Do you agree with the prediction that within a century English will be the vernacular of a quarter of the people of the world?
Introduction to the Science of Sociology|Robert E. Park

British Dictionary definitions for vernacular

vernacular

/ (vəˈnækjʊlə) /

noun

the vernacular the commonly spoken language or dialect of a particular people or place

a local style of architecture, in which ordinary houses are builtthis architect has re-created a true English vernacular

adjective

relating to, using, or in the vernacular

designating or relating to the common name of an animal or plant

built in the local style of ordinary houses, rather than a grand architectural style

Derived forms of vernacular

vernacularly, adverb

Word Origin for vernacular

C17: from Latin vernāculus belonging to a household slave, from verna household slave

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

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WORD OF THE DAY

vernacular

adjective

noun

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Origin of vernacular

synonym study for vernacular

OTHER WORDS FROM vernacular

Words nearby vernacular

Example sentences from the Web for vernacular

British Dictionary definitions for vernacular

noun

adjective

Derived forms of vernacular

Word Origin for vernacular

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

vernacular

adjective

noun

QUIZZES

BECOME A PRO CHEF WITH THIS EXQUISITE CUISINE QUIZ!

Origin of vernacular

synonym study for vernacular

OTHER WORDS FROM vernacular

Words nearby vernacular

Words related to vernacular

Example sentences from the Web for vernacular

British Dictionary definitions for vernacular

noun

adjective

Derived forms of vernacular

Word Origin for vernacular