Dictionary Thesaurus Word Dynamo Quotes Reference Translator Spanish

vernacular

[ver-nak-yuh-ler, vuh-nak-]

Origin

Vernacular www.ask.com/Vernacular Search Vernacular Q&A for Vernacular

adjective

(of language) native or indigenous (opposed to literary or learned).

expressed or written in the native language of a place, as literary works: a vernacular poem.

using such a language: a vernacular speaker.

of or pertaining to such a language.

using plain, everyday, ordinary language.

EXPAND

of, pertaining to, or characteristic of architectural vernacular.

noting or pertaining to the common name for a plant or animal.

Obsolete. (of a disease) endemic.

COLLAPSE

noun

the native speech or language of a place.

10.

the language or vocabulary peculiar to a class or profession.

11.

a vernacular word or expression.

12.

the plain variety of language in everyday use by ordinary people.

13.

the common name of an animal or plant as distinguished from its Latin scientific name.

EXPAND

14.

a style of architecture exemplifying the commonest techniques, decorative features, and materials of a particular historical period, region, or group of people.

15.

any medium or mode of expression that reflects popular taste or indigenous styles.

COLLAPSE

00:10

00:09

00:08

00:07

00:06

00:05

00:04

00:03

00:02

00:01

Vernacular is always a great word to know.

So is ort. Does it mean:

an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.

a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.

LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

Origin:
1595–1605; < Latin vernācul(us) household, domestic, native (apparently adj. use of vernāculus, diminutive of verna slave born in the master's household, though derivation unclear) + -ar¹

Related forms

ver·nac·u·lar·ly, adverb

non·ver·nac·u·lar, adjective

Synonyms
9, 10. See language.

Link To VERNACULAR

Collins

World English Dictionary

vernacular (vəˈnækjʊlə)

—n
1.	the vernacular the commonly spoken language or dialect of a particular people or place
2.	a local style of architecture, in which ordinary houses are built: this architect has re-created a true English vernacular

—*adj*
3.	relating to, using, or in the vernacular
4.	designating or relating to the common name of an animal or plant
5.	built in the local style of ordinary houses, rather than a grand architectural style

[C17: from Latin vernāculus belonging to a household slave, from verna household slave]

ver'nacularly

—*adv*

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

vernacular

c.1600, "native to a country," from L. vernaculus "domestic, native," from verna "home-born slave, native," a word of Etruscan origin. Used in English in the sense of Latin vernacula vocabula, in reference to language.

Word Dynamo Rating For Vernacular

People who can define Vernacular may know 20,047 words, as many as a 7th grader.

How many words do you know?

Want VERNACULAR ad-free? Click here!

Eastern Hindi Gallo-Romance Guarani Hebrew Italianate Khalkha

Matching Quote

"Would you convey my compliments to the purist who reads your proofs and tell him or her that I write in a sort of broken-down patois which is something like the way a Swiss waiter talks, and that when I split an infinitive, God damn it, I split it so it will stay split, and when I interrupt the velvety smoothness of my more or less literate syntax with a few sudden words of bar- room vernacular, that is done with the eyes wide open and the mind relaxed but attentive."

-Raymond Chandler

Partners:Word Bloglines Citysearch The Daily Beast Ask Answers Ask Kids Life123 Sendori Thesaurus

About Privacy Policy Terms of Use API Careers Advertise with Us Contact Us Help