slang

See also: Slang and släng

Contents

English

Pronunciation

• enPR: slăng, IPA^(key): /slæŋ/
• (US, pre-/ŋ/ tensing) enPR: slăng, IPA^(key): /sleɪŋ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪŋ

Etymology 1

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

slang (countable and uncountable, plural slangs)

1. Language outside of conventional usage and in the informal register.
2. Language that is unique to a particular profession or subject; jargon.
3. The specialized language of a social group, sometimes used to make what is said unintelligible to those not members of the group; cant.
   • 1871–72, George Eliot, Middlemarch, Chapter 11

     "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."

Synonyms

• (jargon): vernacular, jargon, lingo, dialect, cant

Derived terms

• slangish, slangishly, slangishness
• slangless
• slang-like
• slangly
• slangster
• slangwhanger
• slangwise
• slangy

Translations

slang

• Afrikaans: sleng (af)
• Arabic: عَامِّيَّة‎ f (ʿāmmiyya) (Eastern Arabic), دَارِجَة‎ f (dārija) (Western Arabic)
• Armenian: ժարգոն (hy) (žargon)
• Catalan: argot (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 俚語 (zh), 俚语 (zh) (lǐyǔ), 行語 (zh), 行语 (zh) (hángyǔ)

• Czech: slang (cs) m, hantýrka (cs) f
• Danish: slang (da) c or n
• Finnish: slangi (fi)
• French: argot (fr) m, langue verte (fr) f, jargon (fr) m
• Galician: xerga f
• German: Slang (de) m, Jargon (de) m, Umgangssprache (de) f
• Greek: αργκό (el) f (argkó)
• Hebrew: סלנג‎ (he)
• Hungarian: szleng (hu)
• Ido: slangajo

• Japanese: 俗語 (ja) (ぞくご, zokugo), 俚言 (りげん, rigen), スラング (surangu)
• Korean: 속어 (ko) (sogeo), 은어 (ko) (euneo)
• Latvian: slengs m
• Polish: slang (pl) m, żargon (pl) m, gwara (pl) f
• Portuguese: calão (pt) m, jargão (pt) m, gíria (pt) f
• Romanian: argou (ro) n, jargon (ro) n, slang n
• Russian: сленг (ru) m (sleng), жарго́н (ru) m (žargón), арго́ (ru) n (argó), фе́ня (ru) f (fénja) (in the criminal world), разгово́рная речь (ru) f (razgovórnaja rečʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: truaill-chainnt f
• Spanish: argot (es) m, jerga (es) f, germanía (es) f
• Swedish: slang (sv)
• Tagalog: salitang balbal, salitang kalye, salitang kanto
• Turkish: argo (tr)
• Vietnamese: tiếng lóng (vi)
• Volapük: lupöpapük

jargon — see jargon

cant — see cant

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Danish: ^{(please verify)} slang (da) c
• Dutch: ^{(please verify)} Bargoens (nl) n, ^{(please verify)} dialect (nl) n
• Hebrew: ^{(please verify)} סְלֶנְג‎ (he) m (sleng)
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} gergo (it) m
• Korean: ^{(please verify)} 속어 [俗語] (sok-eo)

• Romanian: ^{(please verify)} slang n
• Serbo-Croatian: ^{(please verify)} sleng (sh) m, ^{(please verify)} žargon (sh) m, ^{(please verify)} argo (sh) m
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} argot (es) m, ^{(please verify)} jerga (es) f
• Telugu: ^{(please verify)} Shabdham (Shabdham)

Verb

slang (third-person singular simple present slangs, present participle slanging, simple past and past participle slanged)

1. (transitive, dated) To vocally abuse, or shout at.
   • 1888, Rudyard Kipling, “Miss Youghal's Sais”, Plain Tales from the Hills, Folio Society 2007, p. 26,

     Also, he had to keep his temper when he was slanged in the theatre porch by a policeman.

See also

• Category:English slang

Etymology 2

Verb

slang

1. (archaic) simple past tense of sling
   • 1836, Edward Bagnall, Saul and David

     Before he slang the all-deciding stone […]

Etymology 3

Alternative forms

• slanket

Noun

slang (plural slangs)

1. (Britain, dialectal) Any long, narrow piece of land; a promontory.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Holland to this entry?)

Etymology 4

Compare sling.

Noun

slang (plural slangs)

1. (Britain, obsolete) A fetter worn on the leg by a convict.
2. (Britain, obsolete, slang) A counterfeit weight or measure.
3. (Britain, obsolete, slang) A travelling show, or one of its performances.
4. (Britain, obsolete, slang) A hawker's license.
5. (Britain, obsolete, slang) A watchchain.

Further reading

• slang in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• slang in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• slang at OneLook Dictionary Search

Etymology 5

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

slang (third-person singular simple present slangs, present participle slanging, simple past and past participle slanged)

1. (transitive, African American Vernacular, MLE) To sell (especially illegal drugs).
   • 2014, Cdai (lyrics), “Bail Out”, 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, TG Millian (lyrics), “Call Me A Spartan”, 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, Digga D (lyrics), “Next Up?”, 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
     

Anagrams

• glans, langs

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Afrikaans

FWOTD – 7 April 2013

Etymology

From Dutch slang (“snake, serpent”), from Middle Dutch slange (“snake, serpent”), from Old Dutch slango (“snake, serpent”), from Proto-Germanic *slangô (“snake, serpent”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [slɑŋ]

Noun

slang (plural slange)

1. 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.

Related terms

• grootslang

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Cebuano

Etymology

Borrowed from English slang. A misnomer.

Noun

slang

1. (colloquial, informal) twang, foreign accent

Adjective

slang

1. (colloquial, informal) (usually of English speakers) Having a regional or foreign accent.

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Czech

Noun

slang m

1. slang

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Danish

Etymology 1

Borrowed from English slang.

Noun

slang c (singular definite slangen or slanget, not used in plural form)

1. Language outside of conventional usage, slang.

Inflection

Declension of slang

common gender	Singular
	indefinite	definite
nominative	slang	slangen slanget
genitive	slangs	slangens slangets

Derived terms

• slangord
• slangordbog
• slangudtryk

Etymology 2

See slange.

Verb

slang

1. imperative of slange

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Dutch

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch slange, from Old Dutch slango, from Proto-Germanic *slangô (“snake, serpent”).

Pronunciation

• audio

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /slɑŋ/
• Rhymes: -ɑŋ

Noun

slang f (plural slangen, diminutive slangetje n)

1. snake

   Synonym: serpent

   Hypernym: reptiel

2. hose (flexible tube)

Derived terms

• aardslang
• afgodslang
• aspisslang
• boomslang
• brilslang
• dobbelsteenslang
• esculaapslang
• gifslang
• gladde slang
• grootslang
• hagedisslang
• koningsslang
• koraalslang
• kousenbandslang
• luipaardslang
• melkslang
• ratelslang
• reuzenslang
• ringslang
• sawaslang
• slangenarend
• slangenbeet
• slangengif
• slangenmens
• stofzuigerslang
• tijgerslang
• toornslang
• trapslang
• tuinslang
• waterslang
• wormslang
• wrattenslang
• wurgslang
• zeeslang

 

Descendants

• Afrikaans: slang

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English slang.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /slɛŋ/
• Rhymes: -ɛŋ

Noun

slang n (plural slangs, diminutive slangetje n)

1. language specific to one social group, slang

Anagrams

• glans, langs

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French

Etymology

From English slang

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /slaŋɡ/

Noun

slang m (plural slangs)

1. 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.

See also

• argot

Further reading

• “slang” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

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Limburgish

Etymology 1

From Dutch slang.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [slɑŋ(ɡ)]

Noun

slang f

1. hose (flexible tube)

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English slang.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [slæŋ(ɡ)]

Noun

slang f

1. slang

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Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology 1

From English slang

Noun

slang m (definite singular slangen)

1. slang (non-standard informal language)

Related terms

• sjargong

Etymology 2

Verb

slang

1. imperative of slange

References

• “slang” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

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Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From English slang

Noun

slang m (definite singular slangen)

1. slang (non-standard informal language)

Related terms

• sjargong

References

• “slang” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

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Polish

Etymology

From English slang.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /slank/

Noun

slang m inan

1. slang (jargon or cant)

Declension

declension of slang

	singular	plural
nominative	slang	slangi
genitive	slangu	slangów
dative	slangowi	slangom
accusative	slang	slangi
instrumental	slangiem	slangami
locative	slangu	slangach
vocative	slangu	slangi

Derived terms

• slangowy
• slangowo

Further reading

• slang in Polish dictionaries at PWN

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Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from English slang.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /slenɡ/

Noun

slang n (plural slanguri)

1. slang

Declension

declension of slang

	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

Synonyms

• argou

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Swedish

Noun

slang c

1. hose, tube, flexible pipe
2. (uncountable) slang (language)

Declension

Declension of slang 1
	Singular		Plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	slang	slangen	slangar	slangarna
Genitive	slangs	slangens	slangars	slangarnas

Declension of slang 2
	Uncountable
	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	slang	slangen	—	—
Genitive	slangs	slangens	—	—

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Tagalog

Noun

slang

1. (colloquial, informal) A thick foreign accent in English.

   Ayos ka mag-Ingles a, parang Kano, slang na slang!

   That's some English diction you have, like an American, with their accent!

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West Frisian

Etymology

Noun

slang c (plural slangen, diminutive slankje)

1. snake

Alternative forms

• slange

Further reading

• “slang”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011