Spanish Conversation · Level 136
45 words
Spanish word
argot
Pronunciation
IPA/aɾˈɣot/
Meaning
- masculine nounslang
Example
En mi barrio se habla un argot distinto.
In my neighborhood, people use different slang.
More examples
En la empresa usan un argot profesional entre ingenieros.
At the company, they use professional slang among engineers.
Core concept
Closed-group vocabulary that outsiders find hard to understand.
Common phrases
argot juvenil
youth slang
argot callejero
street slang
argot profesional
professional slang
Similar words
jerga: Casual terms that a professional or hobby circle uses among its members.
coloquialismo: Colloquial turns of phrase that people use in everyday spoken language.
registro: The choice of speech style or formality that speakers adopt in context.
código: A set of agreed signs or words that group members use to conceal meaning.
Definition in Spanish
Tipo de lenguaje especializado y a menudo cerrado usado por un grupo para expresar ideas que resultan crípticas para quienes no pertenecen a ese grupo.
Word origin
The Spanish word argot comes from French argot, which in the 19th century referred to thieves' cant and occupational secret languages and later came to mean any closed in-group jargon.
Usage tips
- In everyday speech speakers tend to say jerga for casual slang, while argot is more often used in descriptions of secretive or highly specialized group language.
Other meanings
- jargonnoun
Opposites
- lenguaje estándarstandard languagenoun
Related words
- argoteríaslang usagenoun