vernacular

[ ver-nak-yuh-ler, vuh-nak- ]

adjective

1. (of language) native to a place ( literary ).
2. expressed or written in the native language of a place, as literary works:

   a vernacular poem.

3. using such a language:

   a vernacular speaker.

4. of or relating to such a language.
5. using plain, everyday, ordinary language.
6. of, relating to, or characteristic of architectural vernacular.
7. noting or pertaining to the common name for a plant or animal.
8. Obsolete. (of a disease) endemic.

noun

1. the native speech or language of a place.
2. the language or vocabulary peculiar to a class or profession.
3. a vernacular word or expression.
4. the plain variety of language in everyday use by ordinary people.
5. the common name of an animal or plant as distinguished from its Latin scientific name.
6. a style of architecture exemplifying the commonest techniques, decorative features, and materials of a particular historical period, region, or group of people.
7. any medium or mode of expression that reflects popular taste or local styles.

vernacular

/ vəˈnækjʊlə /

noun

1. the vernacular
   the commonly spoken language or dialect of a particular people or place
2. a local style of architecture, in which ordinary houses are built

   this architect has re-created a true English vernacular

adjective

1. relating to, using, or in the vernacular
2. designating or relating to the common name of an animal or plant
3. built in the local style of ordinary houses, rather than a grand architectural style

Derived Forms

• verˈnacularly, adverb

Other Words From

• ver·nacu·lar·ly adverb
• nonver·nacu·lar adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of vernacular¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin vernācul(us), “household, domestic, native” (apparently adjective use of vernāculus, diminutive of verna “slave born in the master's household”; further origin uncertain) + -ar ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of vernacular¹

C17: from Latin vernāculus belonging to a household slave, from verna household slave

Synonym Study

See language.

Example Sentences

Several years ago, when climate change was beginning to emerge in the vernacular of the extreme right, Taylor’s publications began to reflect his own thoughts on the implications of the warming world.

From Salon

But the teacher listened patiently as she explained why this was a misreading of Angelou’s vernacular style, even helping her formulate her argument against him.

From Los Angeles Times

“Many of them are educated in vernacular mediums and as they move up in the ladders of higher education, they have to work harder than their peers who are fluent in English.”

From BBC

Plus, over-the-top emergencies like dam breaks, earthquakes, tsunamis and a pirate attack on a cruise ship, at least when told in the procedural’s vernacular, are an escape from the more mundane horrors of daily life.

From Los Angeles Times

Before it was co-opted by conservatives, the term "woke" was an expression originating in 1940s African American vernacular that meant being awakened to the presence of racial injustice.

From Salon

Related Words

• argot
• dialect
• idiom
• jargon
• lingo
• parlance
• patois
• slang