treatise

treatise [trtiss]
(plural treatises)
noun
detailed written account of subject: a formal written
work that deals with a subject systematically and usually
extensively

[14th century. < Anglo-Norman tretiz < Old

French traitier (see treat)]

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jargon

jargon [jr gn]

(plural jargons)
noun
1. specialist language: language that is used by a group,
profession, or culture, especially when the words and
phrases are not understood or used by other people
typesetters' jargon
2. unintelligible language: pretentious or meaningless
language (disapproving)
Cut the jargon and get to your point.
3. LINGUISTICS Same as pidgin

[14th century. < Old French jargoun]

-jargonistic [jrg nstik], adjective
The term jargon is applied chiefly to the words
and phrases that are used and understood by
people within a specific profession or field of
study but not by others, as in medical jargon,
business jargon, or computer jargon. Examples
of Internet jargon include secure server,
netiquette, spamming, and viral marketing.
Jargon is an indispensable means of
communication within its own sphere, but it is
criticized when used unnecessarily in everyday
contexts, or to impress, intimidate, or confuse
outsiders.
Word Key: Synonyms

jargon, vocabulary, terminology, slang, idio

m, argot, parlance, lingo, -speak, -ese,

CORE MEANING: language used by a particular

group of people
jargon language that is used by a group,
profession, or culture, especially when the words
and phrases are not understood or used by
other people.;
technical jargon
The opportunity is staring us in the face to
generate a billion-dollar "tourism product" - to
use that awful jargon.vocabulary the set of
words associated with a subject or area of
activity, or used by an individual person;
the fashionable vocabulary of the times
Ongoing scientific, technological, and social
changes generate a stream of new
vocabulary.terminology the expressions and
words, or a set of expressions and words, used
by people involved in a specialized activity or
field of work;
commercial and financial terminology
Of the world's 53 subspecies of Asian
hornbills, only nine, in the terminology of a
recent conference on the status of these birds,
are "stable."slang words, expressions, and
usages that are casual, vivid, racy, or playful
replacements for standard ones, are often shortlived, and are usually considered unsuitable for
formal contexts;
Bean is a slang word for head.
He used vulgar slang that is not appropriate
for someone in his high position.idiom the style
of expression of a specific person or group;
This time the writer has failed to capture the
American idiom.
I don't think there will be much difference in
the central thrust of their politics; the idiom
might change, but not the substance.argot the
special language used by a particular group of
people;
teenage argot
the argot of the diplomatic
communityparlance the style of speech or
writing used by people in a specific context or
profession;
Now accepted in common parlance, the
computer term "WYSIWYG" stands for What You
See Is What You Get.
Uptown is, in a real estate agent's parlance,
a "desirable part of the city."lingo (informal) a
foreign language, or a specialized set of terms
requiring to be learned like a language;
My wife picked up the lingo as soon as we
moved here.

 An expert can help translate the complicated

lingo of lawyers into plain English.-speak
(disapproving) a suffix added to nouns to
describe the language used by a particular
group of people or in a particular context;
I'm not put off by people using tech-speak.
The 40-page document is salted with
politician-speak.-ese (disapproving) a suffix
added to nouns to describe the style of
language associated with a particular group of
people;
No matter what the government has to
announce, it always seems to come out in a
strangulated officialese.

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Corporation. All rights reserved.

typology
noun

[t plljee]

1. classification of types: the study or systematic classification

of types
2. language study: the study of syntactic and morphological
similarities in languages without regard to their history
3. study of religious texts: the study of religious texts for the
purpose of identifying episodes in them that appear to
prophesy later events

[Mid-19th century. < Greek typos "blow, impression"]

-typologic [tp ljjik], adjective
-typological, adjective
-typologically [tp ljjiklee], adverb
-typologist [t plljist], noun

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intelligible
intelligible
adjective

[in tllijb'l]

1. understandable: capable of being understood

His speech was barely intelligible.

2. PHILOSOPHY understandable by mind alone: perceptible only

by the mind, not the senses

[14th century. Via French < Latin intelligibilis <

intellegere (see intelligent)]
-intelligibility [in tllij blltee], noun
-intelligibly, adverb

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syntax
syntax [sn tks]
(plural syntaxes)
noun
1. organization of words in sentences: the ordering of and
relationship between the words and other structural elements in
phrases and sentences.
The syntax may be of a whole language, a single phrase or sentence, or
of an individual speaker.
2. branch of grammar: the branch of grammar that studies syntax
3. rules of syntax: an exposition of or set of rules for producing
grammatical structures according to the syntax of a language
4. rules governing program structure: the rules governing which
statements and combinations of statements in a programming
language will be acceptable to a compiler for that language
5. rules for deriving logical formulas: the part of logic that gives the
rules that define which combinations of expressions in the logical
system yield well-formed formulas
6. rule-based arrangement: the arrangement of any group of elements
in a systematic or rule-based manner

[Late 16th century. Directly or via French < late Latin <
Greek suntaxis < suntassein "put in order" < tassein
"arrange"]

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rights reserved.

demography
demography
noun

[di mggrfee]

1. study of human populations: the study of human

populations, including their size, growth, density, and
distribution, and statistics regarding birth, marriage, disease,
and death
2. composition of population: the makeup of a particular human
population

[Late 19th century. < Greek dmos "people"]

-demographer, noun
-demographist, noun

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phonology
phonology [f nlljee, f nlljee]
(plural phonologies)
noun
1. study of speech sounds: the study of the system or pattern of speech
sounds used in a particular language or in language in general
2. sound system of language: the system or pattern of speech sounds
used in a particular language

-phonological [fn ljjik'l], adjective

-phonologically [fn ljjiklee], adverb
-phonologist [f nlljist, f nlljist], noun

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rights reserved.

folk
folk [fk]
plural noun
people in general: people, especially people of the same type (takes a plural
verb)

noun
MUSIC Same as folk music

(takes a singular verb)

adjective

1. traditional in community: relating to the traditional culture passed down in a

community or country
folk customs
2. from ideas of ordinary people: relating to the traditional beliefs or ideas of
ordinary people

[ Old English folc < Indo-European,"fill"]

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reserved.

dialectology
dialectology
noun

[d lek tlljee]

study of dialects: the study of the dialects of a language

-dialectological [d lekt ljjik'l], adjective

-dialectologically [d lekt ljjiklee], adverb
-dialectologist [d lek tlljist], noun

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reserved.

intelligible
intelligible
adjective

[in tllijb'l]

1. understandable: capable of being understood

His speech was barely intelligible.
2. PHILOSOPHY understandable by mind alone: perceptible only by the mind, not the senses

[14th century. Via French < Latin intelligibilis < intellegere (see intelligent)]
-intelligibility [in tllij blltee], noun
-intelligibly, adverb

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chagrin
chagrin
noun

[sh grn]

anger at being let down: a feeling of vexation or humiliation due to disappointment about
something

[Mid-17th century. < French]

-chagrin, transitive verb

-chagrined, adjective

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metalinguistics
metalinguistics [mtt ling gwstiks]
noun (takes a singular verb)
1. study of metalanguages: the branch of linguistics that deals with the study of metalanguages
2. study of language and culture: the branch of linguistics that deals with the relation between
language and other aspects of culture

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lexicon
lexicon [lkskn, lks kn]
(plural lexicons or lexica
noun

[lksik])

1. dictionary: a reference book that alphabetically lists words and their meanings, e.g. of an ancient language
2. vocabulary: the entire stock of words belonging to a branch of knowledge or known by somebody

[Early 17th century. Via modern Latin < Greek lexikon, form of lexikos "of words" < lexis
"word" < legein "speak"]

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linguist
linguist [lng gwist]
(plural linguists)
noun
1.

speaker of several languages: a speaker or adept learner of several languages

2.

student of linguistics: an expert in or student of linguistics

[Late 16th century. < Latin lingua "tongue"]

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repertoire
repertoire [rppr twr]
(plural repertoires)
noun
1. material available for performance: a stock of musical or dramatic material that is known and can be
performed
2. body of artistic works: the entire body of works in a specific area of the arts
3. range of resources that somebody has: the range of techniques, abilities, or skills that somebody or
something has
the surgeon's repertoire

[Mid-19th century. Via French < late Latin repertorium (see repertory)]
in repertoire used to refer to performances of different plays or ballets given on different
days

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moribund
moribund
adjective

[mwr bnd]

1.

obsolescent: in the process of becoming obsolete

2.

dying: nearly dead

[Early 18th century. < Latin moribundus < mori "die"]

-moribundity

[mwr bndtee],

noun

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morphology
morphology [mawr flljee]
(plural morphologies)
noun
1. BIOLOGY structure of organism: the form and structure of an organism or of a part of an organism
2. BIOLOGY study of structure of organisms: the study of the form and structure of organisms
3. LINGUISTICS structure of words: the structure of words in a language, including patterns of inflections and
derivation
4. LINGUISTICS study of word formation: the study of the structure of words in a language

5. structure of something's parts: the structure of anything made up of interconnected or interdependent

parts
6. study of structure of something's parts: the study of the structure of anything made up of
interconnected or interdependent parts

-morphological [mwrf ljjik'l], adjective

-morphologist [mawr flljist], noun

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orthography
orthography [awr thggrfee]
(plural orthographies)
noun
1. study of correct spelling: the study of established correct spelling
2. study of how letters are arranged: the study of letters of an alphabet and how they occur sequentially in
words
3. relationship between sounds and letters: the way letters and diacritic symbols represent the sounds of a
language in spelling

Microsoft Encarta 2009. 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.