jar·gon

1 [jahr-guhn, -gon]
noun
1.
the language, especially the vocabulary, peculiar to a particular trade, profession, or group: medical jargon.
2.
unintelligible or meaningless talk or writing; gibberish.
3.
any talk or writing that one does not understand.
5.
language that is characterized by uncommon or pretentious vocabulary and convoluted syntax and is often vague in meaning.
verb (used without object)
6.
to speak in or write jargon; jargonize.
00:10
Jargon is a TOEFL word you need to know.
So is sympathy. Does it mean:
a viral disease, or a corrupting influence on morals or the intellect
harmony of or agreement in feeling, as between persons or on the part of one person with respect to another.

Origin:
1300–50; Middle English jargoun < Middle French; Old French jargon, gargun, derivative of an expressive base *garg-; see gargle, gargoyle

jar·gon·y, jar·gon·is·tic, adjective
jar·gon·ist, jar·gon·eer, noun


1. See language. 2. babble, gabble, twaddle.
Dictionary.com Unabridged

jar·gon

2 [jahr-gon]
noun
a colorless to smoky gem variety of zircon.
Also, jar·goon [jahr-goon] .


Origin:
1760–70; < French < Italian giargonePersian zargūn gold-colored

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To jargon
Collins
World English Dictionary
jargon1 (ˈdʒɑːɡən) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  specialized language concerned with a particular subject, culture, or profession
2.  language characterized by pretentious syntax, vocabulary, or meaning
3.  gibberish
4.  another word for pidgin
 
vb
5.  (intr) to use or speak in jargon
 
[C14: from Old French, perhaps of imitative origin; see gargle]

jargon or jargoon2 (ˈdʒɑːɡɒn, dʒɑːˈɡuːn) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
rare mineralogy a golden yellow, smoky, or colourless variety of zircon
 
[C18: from French, from Italian giargone, ultimately from Persian zargūn of the golden colour; see zircon]
 
jargoon or jargoon2
 
n
 
[C18: from French, from Italian giargone, ultimately from Persian zargūn of the golden colour; see zircon]

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

jargon
mid-14c., "unintelligible talk, gibberish," from O.Fr. jargon "a chattering" (of birds), ultimately of echoic origin (cf. L. garrire "to chatter," Eng. gargle). Often applied to something the speaker does not understand, hence meaning "mode of speech full of unfamiliar terms" (1650s).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary

jargon definition


A special language belonging exclusively to a group, often a profession. Engineers, lawyers, doctors, tax analysts, and the like all use jargon to exchange complex information efficiently. Jargon is often unintelligible to those outside the group that uses it. For example, here is a passage from a computer manual with the jargon italicized: “The RZ887-x current loop interface allows the computer to use a centronics blocked duplex protocol.” (See slang.)

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Example sentences
Prizing clarity and accessibility they avoided specialist jargon and pedantic
  displays of scholarship.
One genotype, to use the jargon, may allow athletes who use anabolic steroids
  to escape detection altogether.
Goodman shows a talent for making clinical jargon sound downright poetic.
He is also, one gathers, rather proud of his command of banking jargon.
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature