cryptolect

English

WOTD – 16 October 2024

Etymology

From crypto- (prefix ‘hidden; secret’) +‎ -lect (suffix denoting a language variety).[1]

Pronunciation

  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈkɹɪptə(ʊ)lɛkt/
  • Audio (Southern England):(file)
  • (General American) enPR: krĭpʹtəlĕk(t)', IPA(key): /ˈkɹɪptəˌlɛk(t)/
  • Hyphenation: cryp‧to‧lect

Noun

cryptolect (plural cryptolects)

  1. (linguistics) A secretive language form used by a subculture; an arcane cant. [from 1980s]
    Coordinate terms: antilanguage, argot, intalk, jargon, lingo; see also Thesaurus:cryptolect
    Cockney rhyming slang developed originally from the cryptolects of London’s thieves and vagabonds.

Derived terms

Translations

See also

References

  1. ^ “cryptolect, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, July 2023; “cryptolect, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Further reading

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