cryptolect
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English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
crypto- (“concealed, hidden, secret”) + -lect (“[language] variety”)
Pronunciation[edit]
- (Received Pronunciation) enPR: krĭpʹtəlĕkt, IPA(key): /ˈkɹɪptəlɛkt/
- (US) enPR: krĭpʹtəlĕkt', IPA(key): /ˈkɹɪptəˌlɛkt/
Noun[edit]
cryptolect (plural cryptolects)
- (linguistics) A secretive language form used by a subculture; an arcane cant.
- Cockney rhyming slang developed originally from the cryptolects of London’s thieves and vagabonds.
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
A secretive language form
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References[edit]
- “cryptolect, n.” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary (draft entry, March 2006)