jargon

See also: Jargon

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈdʒɑː.ɡən/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒɑɹ.ɡən/

• Audio (General American):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)ɡən
• Hyphenation: jar‧gon

Etymology 1

From Middle English jargoun, jargon, from Old French jargon, a variant of gargon, gargun (“chatter; talk; language”).

Noun

jargon (countable and uncountable, plural jargons)

1. (uncountable) A technical terminology unique to a particular subject.
2. (countable) A language characteristic of a particular group.
   • 1849, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter I, in The History of England from the Accession of James II, volume I, London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC, page 11:

     They [the Normans] abandoned their native speech, and adopted the French tongue, in which Latin was the predominant element. They speedily raised their new language to a dignity and importance which it had never before possessed. They found it a barbarous jargon; they fixed it in writing; and they employed it in legislation, in poetry, and in romance.

   • 2014, Ian Hodder, Archaeological Theory Today:

     In fact all the competing theories have developed their own specialized jargons and have a tendency to be difficult to penetrate.

3. (uncountable) Speech or language that is incomprehensible or unintelligible; gibberish.

Synonyms

• (language characteristic of a group): argot, cant, intalk
• vernacular

Derived terms

• blargon
• cyberjargon
• Eurojargon
• jargonal
• jargon aphasia
• jargonaphasia
• jargonaut
• jargoneer
• jargoner
• jargonese
• jargonesque
• jargonic
• jargonisation
• jargonise
• jargonish
• jargonist
• jargonistic
• jargonitis
• jargonium
• jargonization
• jargonize
• jargonless
• jargony
• psychojargon
• technojargon

 

Translations

technical terminology unique to a particular subject

• Afrikaans: jargon, vaktaal
• Armenian: ժարգոն (hy) (žargon)
• Belarusian: жарго́н m (žarhón)
• Bulgarian: жарго́н (bg) m (žargón)
• Catalan: argot (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 行話／行话 (zh) (hánghuà)

• Czech: žargon (cs) m
• Danish: fagsprog n
• Dutch: jargon (nl) n, vaktaal (nl) f, visserslatijn (nl) n
• Esperanto: ĵargono
• Finnish: jargon (fi), ammattikieli (fi)
• French: jargon (fr) m
• Friulian: zergon m
• Galician: tecnicismo m, xerga f
• Georgian: ჟარგონი (ka) (žargoni)
• German: Fachjargon (de) m, Fachsprache (de) f
• Greek: ιδιογλωσσία f (idioglossía)
• Hebrew: עגה (he) f (agá), ז'רגון (he) m (zhargón)
• Hungarian: szaknyelv (hu), szakzsargon (hu), szakmai nyelv
• Indonesian: jargon (id)
• Irish: béarlagair m
• Italian: gergo (it) m
• Japanese: 専門用語 (ja) (せんもんようご, senmon yōgo), 業界用語 (ぎょうかいようご, gyōkai yōgo), 隠語 (ja) (いんご, ingo), ジャーゴン (ja) (jāgon)
• Korean: 전문어 (ko) (jeonmuneo), 전문 용어 (jeonmun yong'eo)
• Latvian: žargons (lv) m
• Macedonian: жарго́н m (žargón)
• Malay: jargon
• Maori: kupu-ā-kaupapa, kupu kaupapa
• Piedmontese: gergh m
• Polish: żargon (pl) m
• Portuguese: jargão (pt) m
• Romanian: jargon (ro) n
• Russian: жарго́н (ru) m (žargón)
• Spanish: tecnicismo (es) m, jerga (es) f, jerigonza f
• Swahili: istilahi
• Swedish: fackspråk (sv) n, jargong (sv) c
• Turkish: jargon (tr), argo (tr)
• Ukrainian: жарго́н (uk) m (žarhón)
• Yiddish: זשאַרגאָן m (zhargon)

language characteristic of a particular group

• Afrikaans: groepstaal (af), sosiolek
• Armenian: ժարգոն (hy) (žargon)
• Bulgarian: жарго́н (bg) m (žargón)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 行語／行语 (zh) (hángyǔ)

• Czech: žargon (cs) m
• Dutch: jargon (nl) n
• Finnish: slangi (fi), jargon (fi), ammattikieli (fi)
• French: jargon (fr) m
• Galician: xerga f, latín (gl) m
• Georgian: ჟარგონი (ka) (žargoni)
• German: Jargon (de) m, Fachsprache (de) f
• Greek: ιδιογλωσσία f (idioglossía), ιδιόλεκτος (el) f (idiólektos)
• Hebrew: עגה (he) f (agá), ניב (he) m (niv), ז'רגון (he) m (zhargón)
• Hungarian: zsargon (hu), tolvajnyelv (hu)
• Irish: béarlagair m
• Japanese: 隠語 (ja) (ingo), スラング (ja) (surangu)
• Korean: 은어 (ko) (euneo)
• Macedonian: жарго́н m (žargón)
• Polish: żargon (pl) m
• Portuguese: gíria (pt) f
• Russian: жарго́н (ru) m (žargón)
• Spanish: jerga (es) f, argot (es) m, germanía (es) f
• Swedish: jargong (sv) c
• Turkish: jargon (tr), argo (tr)

incomprehensible speech

• Afrikaans: brabbeltaal
• Czech: žargon (cs) m
• Dutch: gebrabbel (nl) n, gewauwel (nl) n, wartaal (nl) f
• Finnish: mongerrus (fi), siansaksa (fi)
• French: jargon (fr) m, charabia (fr) m
• Galician: xerga f
• Georgian: აბდაუბდა (ka) (abdaubda), უაზრობა (uazroba)
• German: Jargon (de) m, Fachchinesisch (de) n
• Greek: ακαταλαβίστικα (el) pl (akatalavístika)
• Hungarian: halandzsa (hu), blabla (hu)
• Irish: gibiris f, dríodar cainte m
• Japanese: たわごと (ja) (tawagoto)
• Portuguese: algaravia (pt) f
• Russian: тараба́рщина (ru) f (tarabárščina)
• Spanish: jerigonza

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Arabic: ^{(please verify)} مُصْطَلَح (ar) m (muṣṭalaḥ) (1), ^{(please verify)} لُغَة غَيْر مَفْهُومَة f (luḡa ḡayr mafhūma) (2)
• Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} ĵargono, ^{(please verify)} jargono
• Indonesian: ^{(please verify)} bahasa kacau
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} gergo (it) m
• Mandarin: ^{(please verify)} 行話／行话 (zh) (hánghuà), ^{(please verify)} 行话 (zh) (háng huà) (1, 2), ^{(please verify)} 隱語／隐语 (zh) (yǐnyǔ), ^{(please verify)} 隐语 (zh) (yǐn huà), ^{(please verify)} 黑話／黑话 (zh) (hēihuà) (3), ^{(please verify)} 黑话 (zh) (hēihuà) (3)
• Persian: ^{(please verify)} زبان تخصصی (zabân-e taxassosi), ^{(please verify)} زبان مخفی (zabân-e maxfi)
• Volapük: ^{(please verify)} jargon (vo)

Verb

jargon (third-person singular simple present jargons, present participle jargoning, simple past and past participle jargoned)

1. To utter jargon; to emit confused or unintelligible sounds.
   • 1837, Thomas Carlyle, “Fatherland in Danger”, in The French Revolution: A History […], volume III (The Guillotine), London: James Fraser, […], →OCLC, book III (The Girondins), page 184:

     Prussian Trenck, the poor subterranean Baron, jargons and jangles in an unmelodious manner.

   • 1863 November 23, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “The Poet’s Tale. The Birds of Killingworth.”, in Tales of a Wayside Inn, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor and Fields, →OCLC, page 195:

     [T]he noisy jay, / Jargoning like a foreigner at his food; […]

Etymology 2

Noun

jargon (countable and uncountable, plural jargons)

1. Alternative form of jargoon (“A variety of zircon”)

Further reading

• Jargon on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Jargon in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)
• "jargon" in Raymond Williams, Keywords (revised), 1983, Fontana Press, page 174.

Dutch

Etymology

From Old French jargon (“chatter, talk, language”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jɑrˈɣɔn/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: jar‧gon

Noun

jargon n (plural jargons, diminutive jargonnetje n)

1. jargon, specialised language

Finnish

Etymology

Borrowed from French jargon.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈjɑrɡon/, [ˈjɑ̝rɡo̞n]
• Rhymes: -ɑrɡon
• Syllabification^(key): jar‧gon

Noun

jargon

1. jargon

Declension

Inflection of jargon (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)
nominative		jargon	jargonit
genitive		jargonin	jargonien
partitive		jargonia	jargoneja
illative		jargoniin	jargoneihin
		singular	plural
nominative		jargon	jargonit
accusative	nom.	jargon	jargonit
	gen.	jargonin
genitive		jargonin	jargonien
partitive		jargonia	jargoneja
inessive		jargonissa	jargoneissa
elative		jargonista	jargoneista
illative		jargoniin	jargoneihin
adessive		jargonilla	jargoneilla
ablative		jargonilta	jargoneilta
allative		jargonille	jargoneille
essive		jargonina	jargoneina
translative		jargoniksi	jargoneiksi
abessive		jargonitta	jargoneitta
instructive		—	jargonein
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of jargon (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative jargonini jargonini accusative nom. jargonini jargonini gen. jargonini genitive jargonini jargonieni partitive jargoniani jargonejani inessive jargonissani jargoneissani elative jargonistani jargoneistani illative jargoniini jargoneihini adessive jargonillani jargoneillani ablative jargoniltani jargoneiltani allative jargonilleni jargoneilleni essive jargoninani jargoneinani translative jargonikseni jargoneikseni abessive jargonittani jargoneittani instructive — — comitative — jargoneineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative jargonisi jargonisi accusative nom. jargonisi jargonisi gen. jargonisi genitive jargonisi jargoniesi partitive jargoniasi jargonejasi inessive jargonissasi jargoneissasi elative jargonistasi jargoneistasi illative jargoniisi jargoneihisi adessive jargonillasi jargoneillasi ablative jargoniltasi jargoneiltasi allative jargonillesi jargoneillesi essive jargoninasi jargoneinasi translative jargoniksesi jargoneiksesi abessive jargonittasi jargoneittasi instructive — — comitative — jargoneinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative jargonimme jargonimme accusative nom. jargonimme jargonimme gen. jargonimme genitive jargonimme jargoniemme partitive jargoniamme jargonejamme inessive jargonissamme jargoneissamme elative jargonistamme jargoneistamme illative jargoniimme jargoneihimme adessive jargonillamme jargoneillamme ablative jargoniltamme jargoneiltamme allative jargonillemme jargoneillemme essive jargoninamme jargoneinamme translative jargoniksemme jargoneiksemme abessive jargonittamme jargoneittamme instructive — — comitative — jargoneinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative jargoninne jargoninne accusative nom. jargoninne jargoninne gen. jargoninne genitive jargoninne jargonienne partitive jargonianne jargonejanne inessive jargonissanne jargoneissanne elative jargonistanne jargoneistanne illative jargoniinne jargoneihinne adessive jargonillanne jargoneillanne ablative jargoniltanne jargoneiltanne allative jargonillenne jargoneillenne essive jargoninanne jargoneinanne translative jargoniksenne jargoneiksenne abessive jargonittanne jargoneittanne instructive — — comitative — jargoneinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative jargoninsa jargoninsa accusative nom. jargoninsa jargoninsa gen. jargoninsa genitive jargoninsa jargoniensa partitive jargoniaan jargoniansa jargonejaan jargonejansa inessive jargonissaan jargonissansa jargoneissaan jargoneissansa elative jargonistaan jargonistansa jargoneistaan jargoneistansa illative jargoniinsa jargoneihinsa adessive jargonillaan jargonillansa jargoneillaan jargoneillansa ablative jargoniltaan jargoniltansa jargoneiltaan jargoneiltansa allative jargonilleen jargonillensa jargoneilleen jargoneillensa essive jargoninaan jargoninansa jargoneinaan jargoneinansa translative jargonikseen jargoniksensa jargoneikseen jargoneiksensa abessive jargonittaan jargonittansa jargoneittaan jargoneittansa instructive — — comitative — jargoneineen jargoneinensa

Further reading

• “jargon”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʒaʁ.ɡɔ̃/

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old French jargon, gargun ("cheeping of birds"), from a root *garg expressing the sound of the throat or referring to it. See gargouille, gargariser, gargoter.
The initial /ʒ/ sound comes from a softening of /g/, as in jambe.

Noun

jargon m (plural jargons)

2. jargon, specialised or unintelligible language

Derived terms

• jargonner
• jargonnesque

Descendants

• → Czech: žargon
• → Dutch: jargon
• → English: jargon
• → Esperanto: ĵargono
• → German: Jargon
• → Hungarian: zsargon
• → Macedonian: жаргон (žargon)
• → Polish: żargon
• → Portuguese: jargão
• → Romanian: jargon n
• → Russian: жарго́н m (žargón)
• → Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic script: жа̀рго̄н

  Latin script: žàrgōn

• → Spanish: jerga
• → Swedish: jargong
• → Turkish: jargon

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Italian giargone. Doublet of zircon.

Noun

jargon m (plural jargons)

2. jargoon, a zircon type

Descendants

• → Catalan: jargó
• → English: jargoon
• → German: Jargon
• → Greek: γιαρκόν (giarkón)
• → Russian: жарго́н (žargón)
• → Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic script: жаргон

  Latin script: žargon, jargon

• → Spanish: jergón

Further reading

• “jargon”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Middle English

Noun

jargon

1. Alternative form of jargoun.

Old French

Etymology

Probably of imitative origin, similar to Latin garrio (“I chatter”).

Noun

jargon oblique singular, m (oblique plural jargons, nominative singular jargons, nominative plural jargon)

1. talk; chatter; conversation; talking

Descendants

• French: jargon
  • → Czech: žargon
  • → Dutch: jargon
  • → English: jargon
  • → Esperanto: ĵargono
  • → German: Jargon
  • → Hungarian: zsargon
  • → Macedonian: жаргон (žargon)
  • → Polish: żargon
  • → Portuguese: jargão
  • → Romanian: jargon n
  • → Russian: жарго́н m (žargón)
  • → Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: жа̀рго̄н

    Latin script: žàrgōn

  • → Spanish: jerga
  • → Swedish: jargong
  • → Turkish: jargon

References

• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “jargon”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French jargon.

Noun

jargon n (plural jargoane)

1. jargon, slang

Declension

Declension of jargon

	singular		plural
	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) jargon	jargonul	(niște) jargoane	jargoanele
genitive/dative	(unui) jargon	jargonului	(unor) jargoane	jargoanelor
vocative	jargonule		jargoanelor

Turkish

Etymology

Borrowed from French jargon.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʒɑɾˈɡon/, [ʒɑɾ̞ˈɡo̞n̪]

Noun

jargon (definite accusative jargonu, plural jargonlar)

1. jargon

Synonyms

• argo

Volapük

Noun

jargon

1. gibberish
2. A jargon, specialised language