Added 2 October 2026
language
/ˈlæŋ.ɡwɪd͡ʒ/ noun
In Latin: lingua Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about language at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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A body of words, and set of methods of combining them (called a grammar), understood by a community and used as a form of communication.
The English and German languages are both members of the West Germanic language family.
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The ability to communicate using words.
the gift of language
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A sublanguage: the slang of a particular community or jargon of a particular specialist field.
legal language; the language of chemistry
verb
- To communicate by language; to express in language.
interjection
- An admonishment said in response to someone using vulgar language during a conversation.
noun
Origin
From Middle English langage, language, from Old French language, from Vulgar Latin *linguāticum, from Latin lingua (“tongue, speech, language”), from Old Latin dingua (“tongue”), from Proto-Indo-European *dn̥ǵʰwéh₂s (“tongue, speech, language”). Doublet of langaj. Displaced native Old English ġeþēode.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)