Patois — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

a characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves)

a regional dialect of a language (especially French); usually considered substandard

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/pˈætwɑː/

🇬🇧British English

/pˈatwɑː/

🇮🇳Indian English

/pˈatwɑː/

2 syllables Say it as /pˈætwɑː/.

Examples

they don't speak our lingo

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

jargon cant argot lingo vernacular slang

Parts of Speech

noun	a characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves) “they don't speak our lingo”
noun	a regional dialect of a language (especially French); usually considered substandard

Word Forms

slangy	adjective	constituting or expressed in slang or given to the use of slang
slang	verb	use slang or vulgar language

Around the World

Europe

🇪🇸Spanish

dialecto

un lenguaje característico de un grupo particular (como entre los ladrones)

🇵🇹Portuguese

patoá

uma linguagem característica de um determinado grupo (como entre ladrões)

🇷🇺Russian

наречие

характерный язык определенной группы (например, среди воров)

India

🇮🇳Hindi

अशिक्षितों की भाषा

किसी विशेष समूह की एक विशिष्ट भाषा (जैसे चोरों के बीच)

🇮🇳Telugu

పాటోయిస్

ఒక నిర్దిష్ట సమూహం యొక్క లక్షణ భాష (దొంగలలో వలె)

🇮🇳Kannada

ಪಾಟೊಯಿಸ್

ನಿರ್ದಿಷ್ಟ ಗುಂಪಿನ ವಿಶಿಷ್ಟ ಭಾಷೆ (ಕಳ್ಳರ ನಡುವೆ)

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

方言

特定群体（如小偷之间）的特有语言

🇯🇵Japanese

パトワ

特定のグループ（泥棒の間など）に特有の言語

🇰🇷Korean

사투리

(도둑들 사이에서처럼) 특정 집단의 특징적인 언어

🇻🇳Vietnamese

người thổ dân

một ngôn ngữ đặc trưng của một nhóm cụ thể (như giữa những tên trộm)

🇹🇭Thai

ชาวบ้าน

ภาษาลักษณะเฉพาะของกลุ่มใดกลุ่มหนึ่ง (เช่นเดียวกับในหมู่โจร)

🇮🇩Indonesian

logat daerah

bahasa khas kelompok tertentu (seperti di antara pencuri)

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

العامية

لغة مميزة لمجموعة معينة (كما هو الحال بين اللصوص)

🇮🇷Persian

پاتویس

زبان مشخصه یک گروه خاص (مانند دزدان)

🇹🇷Turkish

yerel lehçe

belirli bir grubun karakteristik dili (hırsızlar arasında olduğu gibi)

🇮🇱Hebrew

עָגָה

שפה אופיינית לקבוצה מסוימת (כמו בקרב גנבים)

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'patois'?

The primary meaning of 'patois' is 'a characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves)'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'patois' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'patois' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'patois' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'patois' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'patois' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'patois' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'patois' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'patois' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'patois' in a professional email?

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'patois' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

Pick an option to see how others voted