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diglossia

 - 4 dictionary results

di⋅glos⋅si⋅a

  [dahy-glos-ee-uh, -glaw-see-uh]
Use diglossia in a Sentence
–noun
1. the widespread existence within a society of sharply divergent formal and informal varieties of a language each used in different social contexts or for performing different functions, as the existence of Katharevusa and Demotic in modern Greece.
2. Pathology. the presence of two tongues or of a single tongue divided into two parts by a cleft.
Origin:
1955–60; Latinization of F diglossie, equiv. to Gk díglōss(os) speaking two languages (see diglot ) + F -ie -y 3

Related forms:
di⋅glos⋅sic  [dahy-glos-ik] , adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To diglossia
di·glos·si·a   (dī-glô'sē-ə, -glŏs'ē-ə)   
n.  The use of two markedly different varieties of a language in different social situations, such as a formal variety at work and an informal variety at home.

[From Greek diglōssos, speaking two languages : di-, two; see di-1 + glōssa, tongue, language.]
di·glos'sic adj.
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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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: di·glos·sia
Pronunciation: dI-'gläs-E-&
Function: noun
: the condition of having the tongue bifid
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

diglossia di·glos·si·a (dī-glŏs'ē-ə)
n.
See bifid tongue.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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