slang
English edit
Pronunciation edit
- enPR: slăng, IPA(key): /slæŋ/
- (US, pre-/ŋ/ /æ/ tensing) IPA(key): [sleɪŋ]
Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -æŋ
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. […], volumes (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
- 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
- → Polish: slang
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 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
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
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