patois

[ pat-wah, pah-twah; French pa-twa ]

noun

, plural pat·ois [pat, -wahz, pah, -twahz, p, a, -, twa].

1. a regional form of a language, especially of French, differing from the standard, literary form of the language.
2. a rural or provincial form of speech.
3. jargon; cant; argot.

patois

/ patwa; ˈpætwɑː /

noun

1. an unwritten regional dialect of a language, esp of French, usually considered substandard
2. the jargon of particular group

Word History and Origins

Origin of patois¹

1635–45; < French: literally clumsy speech; akin to Old French patoier to handle clumsily, derivative of pate paw

Word History and Origins

Origin of patois¹

C17: from Old French: rustic speech, perhaps from patoier to handle awkwardly, from patte paw

Example Sentences

“I went to prison so you won’t have to,” he declared, in a weird, highly caffeinated surfer patois.

From Los Angeles Times

For Green, one of the biggest challenges of a film like “One Love” was getting the patois language right and making it feel real without watering it down.

From Seattle Times

"Just the language and the patois needed such a huge amount of attention that a June start date was never going to happen."

From BBC

Valdez conceived El Pachuco as the embodiment of the outrageously stylish young batos he used to spot around town, who spoke a Cantinflas-meets-Raymond-Chandler patois called caló and jitterbugged at clubs from Boyle Heights to Bakersfield.

From Los Angeles Times

Capped with a fez, speaking some sort of French patois, Mitchell brings his own campy aura to the movie, including the portentous punchline: “Choice is a Western concept.”

From New York Times

Related Words

• argot
• dialect
• idiom
• lingo
• slang
• vernacular