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idioms - 2 dictionary results
The Proverbs of Solomon
 Practical, hard-hitting, spiritual comments on each verse of Proverbs.
 www.LetGodBeTrue.com

id⋅i⋅om

  [id-ee-uhm]
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–noun
1. an expression whose meaning is not predictable from the usual meanings of its constituent elements, as kick the bucket or hang one's head, or from the general grammatical rules of a language, as the table round for the round table, and that is not a constituent of a larger expression of like characteristics.
2. a language, dialect, or style of speaking peculiar to a people.
3. a construction or expression of one language whose parts correspond to elements in another language but whose total structure or meaning is not matched in the same way in the second language.
4. the peculiar character or genius of a language.
5. a distinct style or character, in music, art, etc.: the idiom of Bach.
Origin:
1565–75; < L idiōma < Gk idíōma peculiarity, specific property equiv. to idiō- (var. s. of idioûsthai to make one's own, appropriate, v. deriv. of idiós; see idio- ) + -ma n. suffix of result

Synonyms:
1. See phrase.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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id·i·om   (ĭd'ē-əm)   
n.  
  1. A speech form or an expression of a given language that is peculiar to itself grammatically or cannot be understood from the individual meanings of its elements, as in keep tabs on.
  2. The specific grammatical, syntactic, and structural character of a given language.
  3. Regional speech or dialect.
    1. A specialized vocabulary used by a group of people; jargon: legal idiom.
    2. A style or manner of expression peculiar to a given people: "Also important is the uneasiness I've always felt at cutting myself off from my idiom, the American habits of speech and jest and reaction, all of them entirely different from the local variety" (S.J. Perelman).
  5. A style of artistic expression characteristic of a particular individual, school, period, or medium: the idiom of the French impressionists; the punk rock idiom.

[Late Latin idiōma, idiōmat-, from Greek, from idiousthai, to make one's own, from idios, own, personal, private; see s(w)e- in Indo-European roots.]
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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The Proverbs of Solomon
 Practical, hard-hitting, spiritual comments on each verse of Proverbs.
 www.LetGodBeTrue.com