slang
/ˈsleɪ̯ŋ/ noun, verb
Also a form of sling
Forms slangs slanging slanged slanket
- noun Language outside of conventional usage and in the informal register.
- noun Language that is unique to a particular profession or subject; jargon.
- noun The specialized language of a social group, sometimes used to conceal one's meaning from outsiders; cant.
- noun (countable) A particular variety of slang; the slang used by a particular group.
- noun (countable) An item of slang; a slang word or expression.
- noun (countable, India) A curse word.
- verb (transitive, dated) To vocally abuse, or shout at.
- noun (UK, dialect) Any long, narrow piece of land; a promontory.
- noun A fetter worn on the leg by a convict.
- noun A counterfeit weight or measure.
- noun A travelling show, or one of its performances.
- noun A hawker's license.
- noun A watchchain.
- verb (transitive, African-American Vernacular, MLE) To sell (something, especially illegal drugs).
Synonyms
vernacular jargon lingo cant sling flog slang expression slang term argot patois gull dupe befool cod fool put on take in put one over put one across
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 flail”), with derivational nouns such as slæng, sleng, släng etc. Compare the compound: Danish slængenavn, Norwegian slengenavn, Norwegian Nynorsk slengenamn, Swedish slängnamn (“nickname, byname, informal name”, literally “sling-name”), and the phrases: Norwegian Nynorsk slengja kjeften, Swedish slänga käften (“to abuse verbally”, literally “to sling one's jowl”), Swedish slänga ur sig (“to say something hastily, carelessly, thoughtlessly”, literally “to throw out of oneself”), also Swedish (regional) slänga (“careless, nonchalant girl”, literally “sling + feminine suffix -a”).
Compare sling.
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.
Webster’s 1913
- noun Any long, narrow piece of land; a promontory. [Local, Eng.]
- noun A fetter worn on the leg by a convict. [Eng.]
- noun Low, vulgar, unauthorized language; a popular but unauthorized word, phrase, or mode of expression; also, the jargon of some particular calling or class in society; low popular cant; as, the slang of the theater, of college, of sailors, etc.
- verb To address with slang or ribaldry; to insult with vulgar language. [Colloq.]
Etymology [Cf. Sling.]
Etymology [Said to be of Gypsy origin; but probably from Scand., and akin to E. sling; cf. Norw. sleng a slinging, an invention, device, slengja to sling, to cast, slengja kjeften (literally, to sling the jaw) to use abusive language, to use slang, slenjeord (ord = word) an insulting word, a new word that has no just reason for being.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “slang”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details