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Definition of pidgin - 3 dictionary results
pidg⋅in
[pij-uh
n] 
–noun
| 1. | an auxiliary language that has come into existence through the attempts by the speakers of two different languages to communicate and that is primarily a simplified form of one of the languages, with a reduced vocabulary and grammatical structure and considerable variation in pronunciation. |
| 2. | (loosely) any simplified or broken form of a language, esp. when used for communication between speakers of different languages. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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|
Link To pidgin
| pidg·in (pĭj'ən) n. A simplified form of speech that is usually a mixture of two or more languages, has a rudimentary grammar and vocabulary, is used for communication between groups speaking different languages, and is not spoken as a first or native language. Also called contact language. [From Pidgin English.] pidg'in·i·za'tion n., pidg'in·ize' v. |
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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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
pidgin
1876, from pigeon English (1859), the reduced form of the language used in China for communication with Europeans, from pigeon (1826), itself a pidgin word, representing a Chinese pronunciation of business. Meaning extended 1921 to "any simplified language."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Language Translation for : pidgin
Spanish:
lengua franca,
German:
das Pidgin, Pidgin-…,
Japanese:
ピジン英語
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