argot

[ ahr-goh, -guht ]

noun

1. a specialized idiomatic vocabulary peculiar to a particular class or group of people, especially that of an underworld group, devised for private communication and identification:

   a Restoration play rich in thieves' argot.

2. the special vocabulary and idiom of a particular profession or social group:

   sociologists' argot.

argot

/ ɑːˈɡɒtɪk; ˈɑːɡəʊ /

noun

1. slang or jargon peculiar to a particular group, esp (formerly) a group of thieves

Derived Forms

• argotic, adjective

Other Words From

• ar·got·ic [ahr-, got, -ik], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of argot¹

1855–60; < French, noun derivative of argoter to quarrel, derivative Latin ergō ergo with v. suffix -oter

Word History and Origins

Origin of argot¹

C19: from French, of unknown origin

Example Sentences

It’s irresponsible — or “extreme” in the colloquial argot of politics these days — to falsely shout, “Fire!” in a crowded theater.

From Los Angeles Times

“Luxuriates in language. Everett, like Twain, is a master of American argot. … This is Everett’s most thrilling novel, but also his most soulful.”

From New York Times

That means seeking them out where they are and speaking in their argot.

From New York Times

In the argot of the credit bureaus, tradelines are just another word for all the accounts listed on a credit report — credit cards, loans and mortgages are all tradelines.

From New York Times

But even here — under a tangle of rope and lace, designed by Rajha Shakiry, that seems to literalize the World Wide Web — the argot of social media invades.

From New York Times

Related Words

• lingo
• parlance
• patois
• vernacular