View synonyms for patois

patois

[ pat-wah, pah-twah; French pa-twa ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

, plural pat·ois [pat, -wahz, pah, -twahz, p, a, -, twa].

a regional form of a language, especially of French, differing from the standard, literary form of the language.
a rural or provincial form of speech.
jargon; cant; argot.

patois

/ ˈpætwɑː; patwa /

an unwritten regional dialect of a language, esp of French, usually considered substandard
the jargon of particular group

Origin of patois¹

1635–45; < French: literally clumsy speech; akin to Old French patoier to handle clumsily, derivative of pate paw

Origin of patois¹

C17: from Old French: rustic speech, perhaps from patoier to handle awkwardly, from patte paw

She talks like her daughter now; everyone does, in that speedy, all-knowing, wisecrack-spattered sitcom patois of Modern Family.

Biderman, who has an amazing ear for dialogue and verbal cues, has the Hollywood patois down pat.

The patois of Saint-Rémy has been developed and expanded into a beautiful literary language.

Jasmin had already shown the Parisians that real poetry of a high order could be written in a patois.

He sympathizes with every attempt, wherever made, the world over, to raise up a patois into a language.

So that the Provençal language, in spite of everything, keeps a certain patois vulgarity.

Some of the hay-makers called to me, but in such barbarous patois, that I could make nothing of them.

April 19, 2024tortuous

[tawr-choo-uhs ]

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