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argot

 - 3 dictionary results

ar⋅got

  [ahr-goh, -guht]
Use argot in a Sentence
–noun
1. a specialized idiomatic vocabulary peculiar to a particular class or group of people, esp. that of an underworld group, devised for private communication and identification: a Restoration play rich in thieves' argot.
2. the special vocabulary and idiom of a particular profession or social group: sociologists' argot.
Origin:
1855–60; < F, n. deriv. of argoter to quarrel, deriv. L ergō ergo with v. suffix -oter

Related forms:
ar⋅got⋅ic  [ahr-got-ik] , adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To argot
ar·got   (är'gō, -gət)   
n.  A specialized vocabulary or set of idioms used by a particular group: thieves' argot. See Synonyms at dialect.

[French.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

argot 
1860, from Fr. argot (17c.) "the jargon of Paris rogues and thieves," earlier "the company of beggars," from M.Fr., "group of beggars," origin unknown. The Eng. equivalent is cant. The Ger. equivalent is Rotwelsch, lit. "Red Welsh," but the first element may be connected with M.H.G. rot "beggar."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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