Meaning of language in English

Table of contents
  1. Pronunciation
  2. Noun
    1. Etymology
    2. Definitions

  1. Pronunciation

    /ˈlæŋɡwɪdʒ/

    US accent Play button

    UK accent Play button

  1. Noun

    language

    Etymology

    Middle English: from Old French langage, based on Latin lingua‘tongue’

    Definitions

    1. a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols

    Examples

    • « he taught foreign languages »
    • « the language introduced is standard throughout the text »
    • « the speed with which a program can be executed depends on the language in which it »
  2. 2. (language) communication by word of mouth

    Examples

    • « his speech was garbled »
    • « he uttered harsh language »
    • « he recorded the spoken language of the streets »
  3. 3. a system of words used in a particular discipline

    Examples

    • « legal terminology »
    • « the language of sociology »
  4. 4. the cognitive processes involved in producing and understanding linguistic communication

    Examples

    • « he didn't have the language to express his feelings »
  5. 5. the mental faculty or power of vocal communication

    Examples

    • « language sets homo sapiens apart from all other animals »

    Derived terms

  6. 6. the text of a popular song or musical-comedy number

    Examples

    • « his compositions always started with the lyrics »
    • « he wrote both words and music »
    • « the song uses colloquial language »

    Derived terms

Famous quotes

  • « I think that great poetry is the most interesting and complex use of the poet's language at that point in history, and so it's even more exciting when you read a poet like Yeats, almost 100 years old now, and you think that perhaps no one can really top that. »
    Diane Wakoski
  • « Poetry is of so subtle a spirit, that in the pouring out of one language into another it will evaporate. »
    John Denham
  • « It's really sad for me that in the United States the Latino community is losing its culture and language, especially among kids born here - a lot of them can't even speak our language. »
    Romeo Santos
  • « An artist must possess Nature. He must identify himself with her rhythm, by efforts that will prepare the mastery which will later enable him to express himself in his own language. »
    Henri Matisse
  • « Travel provided many interesting experiences, but perhaps the most useful lesson I learned was that I really had no proficiency for learning the thousands of characters of the written Chinese language. »
    Eric Allin Cornell

Browse dictionary