slang
English
[edit]Pronunciation
[edit]Etymology 1
[edit]1756, meaning "special vocabulary of tramps or thieves", origin unknown. Possibly derived from a North Germanic source, related to Norwegian Nynorsk slengenamn (“nickname”), slengja kjeften (“to abuse verbally”, literally “to sling one's jaw”), related to Icelandic slengja (“to sling, throw, hurl”), Old Norse slyngva (“to sling”). Not believed to be connected with language or lingo.
Noun
[edit]slang (countable and uncountable, plural slangs)
- Language outside of conventional usage and in the informal register.
- 1848 November – 1850 December, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 26, in The History of Pendennis. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1849–1850, →OCLC:
- She was amused by his talk, which was simple, straightforward, rather humorous and keen, and interspersed with homely expressions of a style which is sometimes called slang.
- 1996, James Lambert, The Macquarie Book of Slang, Sydney: Macquarie Library, page v:
- English-speaking Australians have always had a love affair with slang.
- Language that is unique to a particular profession or subject; jargon.
- The specialized language of a social group, sometimes used to conceal one's meaning from outsiders; cant.
- 1871, George Eliot [pseudonym; Mary Ann Evans], chapter XI, in Middlemarch […], volume I, Edinburgh, London: William Blackwood and Sons, →OCLC, book I, page 172:
- "Oh, there are so many superior teas and sugars now. Superior is getting to be shopkeepers' slang. / "Are you beginning to dislike slang, then?" said Rosamond, with mild gravity. / "Only the wrong sort. All choice of words is slang. It marks a class." / "There is correct English: that is not slang." / "I beg your pardon: correct English is the slang of prigs who write history and essays. And the strongest slang of all is the slang of poets."
- (countable) A particular variety of slang; the slang used by a particular group.
- 2023, Jonathon Green, Green’s Dictionary of Slang[1]:
- [F]or a detailed analysis see Liberman (2008 157ff) who sees it as one of a number of terms found in pan-European slangs meaning concealment and/or cheating.
- (countable) An item of slang; a slang word or expression.
- 1921, Horace Fish, The Great Way: A Story of the Joyful, the Sorrowful, the Glorious, New York: Mitchell Kennerley:
- Anyway, I have learned many slangs while I am in New York, and one of them, a remarkable slang, is sheister.
- 2019, Hendi Pratama, Linguistic Politeness in Online Communication, Semarang: LPPS Unnes:
- The internet comes up with so many slangs used by people to survive in the online world. Many of those slangs are in the form of abbreviations, for instance, the word "u" which refers to "you"[.]
- (countable, India) A curse word.
- 2021, Sadan Jha, Dev Nath Pathak, Amiya Kumar Das, Neighbourhoods in Urban India: In Between Home and the City, page 82:
- Such attempts were made even more aggressive by the fact that these local women were known for picking fights easily and using slangs to verbally abuse their neighbours.
Usage notes
[edit]Sense 5 is rare among native English speakers, although it may be common among non-native speakers.
Synonyms
[edit]- (jargon): vernacular, jargon, lingo, cant
Derived terms
[edit]- anti-slang
- backslang
- centre slang
- medial slang
- rhyming slang
- slangdom
- slanger
- slangery
- slangese
- slangfest
- slangify, slangification
- slanging match
- slangish, slangishly, slangishness
- slangism, slangist
- slangitis
- slangland
- slangless
- slang-like
- slangly
- slangology, slangologist
- slangonym
- slangster
- slanguage
- slanguist
- slangville
- slangwhanger
- slangwise
- slangy, slanginess
Descendants
[edit]- → Dutch: slang
- → Esperanto: slango
- → Estonian: släng
- → Finnish: slangi
- → German: Slang
- → Hebrew: סְלֶנְג (sleng)
- → Hungarian: szleng
- → Indonesian: slank
- → Malay: slanga
- → Polish: slang
- → Russian: сленг (sleng)
Translations
[edit]
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
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Verb
[edit]slang (third-person singular simple present slangs, present participle slanging, simple past and past participle slanged)
- (transitive, dated) To vocally abuse, or shout at.
- 1888, Rudyard Kipling, “Miss Youghal's Sais”, in Plain Tales from the Hills, Folio Society, published 2007, page 26:
- Also, he had to keep his temper when he was slanged in the theatre porch by a policeman.
- 1907, E.M. Forster, The Longest Journey, Part I, XII [Uniform ed., p. 130]:
- Stephen feared that he would yell louder, and was hostile. But they made friends and treated each other, and slanged the proprietor and ragged the pretty girls …
- 1912, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Lost World […], London; New York, N.Y.: Hodder and Stoughton, →OCLC:
- "If they had been a row of his favorite Pressmen he could not have slanged them worse."
See also
[edit]Etymology 2
[edit]Verb
[edit]slang
- (archaic) simple past of sling
- 1836, Edward Bagnall, Saul and David:
- Before he slang the all-deciding stone […]
Etymology 3
[edit]Alternative forms
[edit]Noun
[edit]slang (plural slangs)
- (UK, dialect) Any long, narrow piece of land; a promontory.
- 1610, William Camden, translated by Philémon Holland, Britain, or A Chorographicall Description of the Most Flourishing Kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland, […], London: […] [Eliot’s Court Press for] Georgii Bishop & Ioannis Norton, →OCLC:
- There runneth forth into the sea a certaine shelfe or slang, like unto an out~thrust tongue.
Etymology 4
[edit]Compare sling.
Noun
[edit]slang (plural slangs)
- (UK, obsolete) A fetter worn on the leg by a convict.
- (UK, obsolete, slang) A counterfeit weight or measure.
- (UK, obsolete, slang) A travelling show, or one of its performances.
- (UK, obsolete, slang) A hawker's license.
- (UK, obsolete, slang) A watchchain.
Further reading
[edit]- “slang”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “slang”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
- “slang”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
Etymology 5
[edit]The same as sling which is also used in this sense. The vowel exhibits the lowering of /ɪ/ before /ŋ/ distinguishing for African American Vernacular English, as in thang for thing, but the word has spread with this pronunciation outside the accents that exhibit this feature.
Verb
[edit]slang (third-person singular simple present slangs, present participle slanging, simple past and past participle slanged)
- (transitive, African-American Vernacular, MLE) To sell (something, especially illegal drugs).
- 2014, “Bail Out”, Cdai (lyrics), performed by RondoNumbaNine ft. Cdai:
- Everyday I wake up gotta get back to the gwop
Just another fuckin day in that gangway slangin rocks
- 2016, “Call Me A Spartan”, TG Millian (lyrics), performed by Harlem Spartans (Blanco, Zico, Bis, TG Millian, MizorMac):
- Whip, whip in the trap do up kitchen that's food (that's food)
Cookin up grub
Fuck, these niggas cookin up soup (uhhhhh)
Slang the crack or the black
Put the light and dark on the move
Gold and brown and cute
Gyal love me and I love them too (too)
- 2017, “Next Up?”, Digga D (lyrics), performed by 1011 (Digga D x Sav'O x T.Y):
- Bro I’m booky, I’ll take your food if my belly starts rumbling
They rap about bootings, they ain’t blammed nobody
Hold that properly when I bang that dotty
I put sniff in a rex, and I slang that bobby
- 2019 October 18, “Feed' Em”[2]performed by #SG Jibbzy, 1:17–1:23:
- Bro is in the kitchen, know he can’t cook
He is whipping shit that we use to slang
This fat prick wanna chat on YouTube
still had to cheat to deny he’s gang
Anagrams
[edit]Afrikaans
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From Dutch slang (“snake, serpent”), from Middle Dutch slange (“snake, serpent”), from Old Dutch slango (“snake, serpent”), from Proto-Germanic *slangô (“snake, serpent”).
Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]slang (plural slange)
- snake; serpent
- 1983, E. P. Groenewald et al. (translators), Bybel, Genesis 3:2:
- Die vrou het die slang geantwoord: “Ons mag eet van die vrugte van die bome in die tuin."
- The woman answered the serpent: “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden.
- 1983, E. P. Groenewald et al. (translators), Bybel, Genesis 3:2:
Related terms
[edit]Cebuano
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Borrowed from English slang. A false friend.
Noun
[edit]slang
Adjective
[edit]slang
- (colloquial, informal) (usually of English speakers) Having a regional or foreign accent
Czech
[edit]Noun
[edit]slang m inan
Declension
[edit]Danish
[edit]Etymology 1
[edit]Noun
[edit]slang c (singular definite slangen or slanget, not used in plural form)
- Language outside of conventional usage, slang.
Inflection
[edit]Derived terms
[edit]Etymology 2
[edit]See slange.
Verb
[edit]slang
- imperative of slange
Dutch
[edit]Etymology 1
[edit]From Middle Dutch slange, from Old Dutch slango, from Proto-Germanic *slangô (“snake, serpent”).
Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]slang f (plural slangen, diminutive slangetje n)
Hyponyms
[edit]Derived terms
[edit]- aardslang
- afgodslang
- aspisslang
- boomslang
- brilslang
- dobbelsteenslang
- esculaapslang
- gifslang
- gladde slang
- grootslang
- hagedisslang
- koningsslang
- koraalslang
- kousenbandslang
- luipaardslang
- melkslang
- ratelslang
- reuzenslang
- ringslang
- sawaslang
- slangenarend
- slangenbeet
- Slangeneiland
- slangengif
- slangenhalsvogel
- slangenkruid
- slangenmens
- stofzuigerslang
- tijgerslang
- toornslang
- trapslang
- tuinslang
- waterslang
- wormslang
- wrattenslang
- wurgslang
- zeeslang
Descendants
[edit]- Afrikaans: slang
- Berbice Creole Dutch: slanggi
- Negerhollands: slang, slaṅ
- Skepi Creole Dutch: slanka
- → Aukan: salan
- → Caribbean Javanese: selang
- → Indonesian: slang (“hose”)
- → Papiamentu: slan
Etymology 2
[edit]Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]slang n (plural slangs, diminutive slangetje n)
Anagrams
[edit]French
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]slang m (plural slangs)
- English slang
- Twain fut un des premiers auteurs provenant des terres intérieures des États-Unis qui a su capturer la distinction, le slang comique et l’iconoclasme de sa nation.
- Twain was one of the first authors coming from the interior of the United States who was able to capture the distinction, the comic slang and the iconoclasm of his nation.
See also
[edit]Further reading
[edit]- “slang”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Indonesian
[edit]Pronunciation
[edit]Etymology 1
[edit]From Dutch slang (“hose”, literally “snake”), from Middle Dutch slange, from Old Dutch slango, from Proto-Germanic *slangô (“snake, serpent”).
Noun
[edit]slang (first-person possessive slangku, second-person possessive slangmu, third-person possessive slangnya)
Usage notes
[edit]Rarely used to avoid confusion with the second sense (from English slang). The alternative form selang is used instead, and becoming acceptable.
Synonyms
[edit]Etymology 2
[edit]Noun
[edit]slang (first-person possessive slangku, second-person possessive slangmu, third-person possessive slangnya)
- (linguistics) slang, unconventional language.
Synonyms
[edit]Further reading
[edit]- “slang” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.
Limburgish
[edit]Etymology 1
[edit]Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]slang f
- hose (flexible tube)
Inflection
[edit]This entry needs an inflection-table template.
Etymology 2
[edit]Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]slang f
Inflection
[edit]This entry needs an inflection-table template.
Norwegian Bokmål
[edit]Etymology 1
[edit]Noun
[edit]slang m (definite singular slangen)
- slang (non-standard informal language)
Related terms
[edit]Etymology 2
[edit]Verb
[edit]slang
- imperative of slange
References
[edit]- “slang” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
Norwegian Nynorsk
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Noun
[edit]slang m (definite singular slangen)
- slang (non-standard informal language)
Related terms
[edit]References
[edit]- “slang” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
Polish
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]slang m inan
Declension
[edit]Derived terms
[edit]Related terms
[edit]Further reading
[edit]- slang in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
- slang in Polish dictionaries at PWN
Romanian
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Unadapted borrowing from English slang.
Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]slang n (plural slanguri)
Declension
[edit]singular | plural | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
indefinite articulation | definite articulation | indefinite articulation | definite articulation | |
nominative/accusative | (un) slang | slangul | (niște) slanguri | slangurile |
genitive/dative | (unui) slang | slangului | (unor) slanguri | slangurilor |
vocative | slangule | slangurilor |
Swedish
[edit]Etymology 1
[edit]From Low German and Middle Low German slange, from Old Saxon slango, from Proto-Germanic *slangô.
Noun
[edit]slang c
Declension
[edit]Declension of slang | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Singular | Plural | |||
Indefinite | Definite | Indefinite | Definite | |
Nominative | slang | slangen | slangar | slangarna |
Genitive | slangs | slangens | slangars | slangarnas |
Etymology 2
[edit]Noun
[edit]slang c
- (uncountable) slang (language)
Declension
[edit]Declension of slang | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Uncountable | ||||
Indefinite | Definite | |||
Nominative | slang | slangen | — | — |
Genitive | slangs | slangens | — | — |
References
[edit]- slang in Svensk ordbok (SO)
- slang in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
- slang in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)
Anagrams
[edit]Tagalog
[edit]Pronunciation
[edit]- (Standard Tagalog) IPA(key): /ˈslaŋ/ [ʔɪsˈlaŋ]
- Rhymes: -aŋ
- Syllabification: slang
Noun
[edit]slang (Baybayin spelling ᜐ᜔ᜎᜅ᜔)
- Alternative spelling of islang
Adjective
[edit]slang (Baybayin spelling ᜐ᜔ᜎᜅ᜔)
- Alternative spelling of islang
West Frisian
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From Old Frisian *slanga, from Proto-Germanic *slangô.
Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]slang c (plural slangen, diminutive slankje)
Alternative forms
[edit]Further reading
[edit]- “slang”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011
- English 1-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- Rhymes:English/æŋ
- Rhymes:English/æŋ/1 syllable
- English terms with unknown etymologies
- English terms derived from North Germanic languages
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English uncountable nouns
- English countable nouns
- English terms with quotations
- Indian English
- English verbs
- English transitive verbs
- English dated terms
- English non-lemma forms
- English verb forms
- English terms with archaic senses
- British English
- English dialectal terms
- English terms with obsolete senses
- English slang
- African-American Vernacular English
- Multicultural London English
- Afrikaans terms inherited from Dutch
- Afrikaans terms derived from Dutch
- Afrikaans terms inherited from Middle Dutch
- Afrikaans terms derived from Middle Dutch
- Afrikaans terms inherited from Old Dutch
- Afrikaans terms derived from Old Dutch
- Afrikaans terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- Afrikaans terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Afrikaans terms with IPA pronunciation
- Afrikaans terms with audio links
- Afrikaans lemmas
- Afrikaans nouns
- Afrikaans terms with quotations
- af:Reptiles
- af:Snakes
- Cebuano terms borrowed from English
- Cebuano terms derived from English
- Cebuano lemmas
- Cebuano nouns
- Cebuano colloquialisms
- Cebuano informal terms
- Cebuano adjectives
- Czech lemmas
- Czech nouns
- Czech masculine nouns
- Czech inanimate nouns
- Czech masculine inanimate nouns
- Czech velar-stem masculine inanimate nouns
- cs:Linguistics
- Danish terms borrowed from English
- Danish terms derived from English
- Danish lemmas
- Danish nouns
- Danish common-gender nouns
- Danish non-lemma forms
- Danish verb forms
- Dutch terms inherited from Middle Dutch
- Dutch terms derived from Middle Dutch
- Dutch terms inherited from Old Dutch
- Dutch terms derived from Old Dutch
- Dutch terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- Dutch terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Dutch terms with audio links
- Dutch terms with IPA pronunciation
- Rhymes:Dutch/ɑŋ
- Dutch lemmas
- Dutch nouns
- Dutch nouns with plural in -en
- Dutch feminine nouns
- Dutch terms borrowed from English
- Dutch terms derived from English
- Rhymes:Dutch/ɛŋ
- Dutch nouns with plural in -s
- Dutch neuter nouns
- nl:Snakes
- French terms derived from English
- French 1-syllable words
- French terms with IPA pronunciation
- French lemmas
- French nouns
- French countable nouns
- French masculine nouns
- French terms with usage examples
- Indonesian 2-syllable words
- Indonesian terms with IPA pronunciation
- Rhymes:Indonesian/laŋ
- Rhymes:Indonesian/laŋ/2 syllables
- Rhymes:Indonesian/aŋ
- Rhymes:Indonesian/aŋ/2 syllables
- Rhymes:Indonesian/ŋ
- Rhymes:Indonesian/ŋ/2 syllables
- Indonesian terms borrowed from Dutch
- Indonesian terms derived from Dutch
- Indonesian terms derived from Middle Dutch
- Indonesian terms derived from Old Dutch
- Indonesian terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Indonesian lemmas
- Indonesian nouns
- Indonesian terms with rare senses
- Indonesian terms borrowed from English
- Indonesian terms derived from English
- id:Linguistics
- Limburgish terms derived from Dutch
- Limburgish terms with IPA pronunciation
- Limburgish lemmas
- Limburgish nouns
- Limburgish feminine nouns
- Limburgish terms borrowed from English
- Limburgish terms derived from English
- Norwegian Bokmål terms derived from English
- Norwegian Bokmål lemmas
- Norwegian Bokmål nouns
- Norwegian Bokmål masculine nouns
- Norwegian Bokmål non-lemma forms
- Norwegian Bokmål verb forms
- Norwegian Nynorsk terms derived from English
- Norwegian Nynorsk lemmas
- Norwegian Nynorsk nouns
- Norwegian Nynorsk masculine nouns
- Polish terms borrowed from English
- Polish terms derived from English
- Polish 1-syllable words
- Polish terms with IPA pronunciation
- Polish terms with audio links
- Rhymes:Polish/aŋk
- Rhymes:Polish/aŋk/1 syllable
- Polish lemmas
- Polish nouns
- Polish masculine nouns
- Polish inanimate nouns
- pl:Linguistics
- pl:Jargon
- Romanian terms borrowed from English
- Romanian unadapted borrowings from English
- Romanian terms derived from English
- Romanian terms with IPA pronunciation
- Romanian lemmas
- Romanian nouns
- Romanian countable nouns
- Romanian neuter nouns
- ro:Linguistics
- Swedish terms borrowed from Low German
- Swedish terms derived from Low German
- Swedish terms derived from Middle Low German
- Swedish terms derived from Old Saxon
- Swedish terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Swedish lemmas
- Swedish nouns
- Swedish common-gender nouns
- Swedish terms borrowed from English
- Swedish terms derived from English
- Swedish uncountable nouns
- Tagalog 1-syllable words
- Tagalog terms with IPA pronunciation
- Rhymes:Tagalog/aŋ
- Rhymes:Tagalog/aŋ/1 syllable
- Tagalog terms with mabilis pronunciation
- Tagalog lemmas
- Tagalog nouns
- Tagalog terms with Baybayin script
- Tagalog adjectives
- West Frisian terms inherited from Old Frisian
- West Frisian terms derived from Old Frisian
- West Frisian terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- West Frisian terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- West Frisian terms with IPA pronunciation
- West Frisian lemmas
- West Frisian nouns
- West Frisian common-gender nouns
- fy:Reptiles