Dictionaries › English

slang

Pronunciation: /ˈslæŋ/

The English word “slang” has 14 meanings listed here.

noun

  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 conceal one's meaning from outsiders; cant.
  4. A particular variety of slang; the slang used by a particular group.
  5. An item of slang; a slang word or expression.
  6. A curse word.
  7. Any long, narrow piece of land; a promontory.
  8. A fetter worn on the leg by a convict.
  9. A counterfeit weight or measure.
  10. A travelling show, or one of its performances.
  11. A hawker's license.
  12. A watchchain.

verb

  1. To vocally abuse, or shout at.
  2. To sell (something, especially illegal drugs).

Etymology

First use appears c. 1756, meaning "special vocabulary of tramps or thieves", origin unknown. Not believed to be connected with language or lingo. Possibly derived from a North Germanic source, then possibly related to Nordic language: Danish slænge, Icelandic and Norwegian Nynorsk slengja, Norwegian slenge, Swedish slänga (“to (carelessly) sling, throw, hurl; throw away, to dispose of; to…

Keep exploring: in the interactive dictionary every word of a definition is a link. Open “slang” there

More English words

About this dictionary

The English dictionary on Glottosphere has 650,529 entries with a page. Browse the English dictionary.

Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.