Lang

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /læŋ/

Definitions

1. A programmable language or system used for communication among humans or computers ; a specialized code or mode of expression in speech, writing, or other symbolic forms ; a method or system of conveying information and ideas between individuals or groups
2. A structured code employed for interaction, either among people or computer systems ; a particular set of symbols and rules for conveying messages via speech, text, or signals ; the means by which information and meaning are exchanged within a community or system
3. A formal system of communication comprising words and grammar used by people or machines ; a mode of symbolic representation for conveying meaning in spoken, written, or coded forms ; a method for transmitting ideas and information effectively between entities

Etymology: The word "lang" is a clipping of "language," a process that cut the Latin-derived noun down to its first syllable. "Language" came into English from Old French "langage," which grew from "langue" (tongue), itself from Latin "lingua," meaning tongue. That Latin word is the same one behind "lingual," and the chain runs back to a very old root for tongue, which is why the sense of "language" as speech and communication began with the body part that produces it. The Latin root is also the source of the Old French "langage," formed with the suffix "-age" and then borrowed into Middle English as "langage." Over time English speakers shortened it to "lang," a form that is recorded in the language as a clipping rather than as an independent word with its own separate history.

Synonyms: language, tongue, dialect, speech, lingo