Argot

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈɑːɡəʊ/

Definitions

1. A type of language that consists of particular expressions and terms exclusive to a specific group, often making it unintelligible to outsiders
2. A communication style that employs unique vocabulary and phrases known only to a certain community, distinguishing it from standard language
3. A set of specialized words and phrases used by a particular community to communicate internally, often inaccessible to outsiders

Etymology: The word "argot" arrived in English from French, where it named the specialized slang of a particular group, most famously the criminal underworld of Paris. Its own origin is obscure: no one has convincingly traced the French word to a parent language, so its ancestry ends in uncertainty rather than in a tidy Latin or Greek root. What is clear is the sense it carried across the Channel. A French argot was not simply rough speech but a coded vocabulary that outsiders could not easily follow, which is why English adopted it for any group's private jargon, from thieves to tradesmen to students. The borrowing preserved that exclusivity: an argot marks who belongs and who does not.

Synonyms: slang, jargon, lingo

Antonyms: standard language