patois

Meanings

Plural: patois

Noun

• a characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves)
• a regional dialect of a language (especially French); usually considered substandard
• A regional dialect (usually one considered substandard) of a language (especially French).
• Any of various French or Occitan dialects spoken in France.
• Creole French in the Caribbean (especially in Dominica, St. Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Haiti).
• Jamaican Patois, a Jamaican creole language based primarily on English and African languages but also having influences from Spanish, Portuguese, and Hindi.
• Jargon or cant.

Synonyms

argot, cant, Jamaican, Jamaican Patois, jargon, lingo, Patwa, slang, vernacular