argot

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈɑːɡəʊ/ (UK); /ˈɑɹɡoʊ/, /ˈɑɹɡət/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French argot,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} earlier “the jargon of Paris thieves” and before that “the company of beggars”,^[4][3] a word of unknown origin.^[3][4] Random House derives it from French argoter “to quarrel”,^[6] and Gamillscheg suggested a link with Old French argoter “to cut off stubs in pruning”.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The jargon or slang of a class of people, originally of thieves and rogues (1860).^[7][3][4]

Semantic evolution

The word first named the secret language of criminals, used to disguise what they said.^[4][3][6] It has since widened to the special vocabulary of any profession or social group.^[6][2][5]

Timeline

• 1842 – first date given by Merriam-Webster.^[5]
• 1860 – the jargon of thieves and rogues.^[7][3][4]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A specialized, often secret, vocabulary used by a particular group, especially by criminals.
2. The special vocabulary of a profession or social group; jargon.

Related words

• cant
• slang
• lingo

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c d Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press