slang
English
Pronunciation
- enPR: slăng, IPA(key): /slæŋ/
- (US, pre-/ŋ/ tensing) enPR: slăng, IPA(key): /sleɪŋ/
Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -æŋ, -eɪŋ
Etymology 1
1756, meaning "special vocabulary of tramps or thieves", origin unknown. Possibly derived from a North Germanic source, related to Norwegian Nynorsk slengenamn (“nickname”), slengja kjeften (“to abuse verbally”, literally “to sling one's jaw”), related to Icelandic slengja (“to sling, throw, hurl”), Old Norse slyngva (“to sling”). Not believed to be connected with language or lingo.
Noun
slang (countable and uncountable, plural slangs)
- Language outside of conventional usage and in the informal register.
- 1848 November – 1850 December, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 26, in The History of Pendennis. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1849–1850, OCLC 2057953:
- She was amused by his talk, which was simple, straightforward, rather humorous and keen, and interspersed with homely expressions of a style which is sometimes called slang.
- 1996, James Lambert, The Macquarie Book of Slang, Sydney: Macquarie Library, page v:
- English-speaking Australians have always had a love affair with slang.
-
- Language that is unique to a particular profession or subject; jargon.
- The specialized language of a social group, sometimes used to conceal one's meaning from outsiders; cant.
- 1871, George Eliot [pseudonym; Mary Ann Evans], chapter XI, in Middlemarch […], volume I, Edinburgh; London: William Blackwood and Sons, OCLC 948783829, book I, page 172:
- "Oh, there are so many superior teas and sugars now. Superior is getting to be shopkeepers' slang. / "Are you beginning to dislike slang, then?" said Rosamond, with mild gravity. / "Only the wrong sort. All choice of words is slang. It marks a class." / "There is correct English: that is not slang." / "I beg your pardon: correct English is the slang of prigs who write history and essays. And the strongest slang of all is the slang of poets."
-
- (countable) A particular variety of slang; the slang used by a particular group.
- (countable) An item of slang; a slang word or expression.
- (India) A curse word.
- 2021, Sadan Jha, Dev Nath Pathak, Amiya Kumar Das, Neighbourhoods in Urban India: In Between Home and the City (page 82)
- Such attempts were made even more aggressive by the fact that these local women were known for picking fights easily and using slangs to verbally abuse their neighbours.
- 2021, Sadan Jha, Dev Nath Pathak, Amiya Kumar Das, Neighbourhoods in Urban India: In Between Home and the City (page 82)
Synonyms
- (jargon): vernacular, jargon, lingo, cant
Derived terms
- backslang
- slangdom
- slangery
- slangese
- slangfest
- slangify, slangification
- slanging match
- slangish, slangishly, slangishness
- slangism, slangist
- slangitis
- slangland
- slangless
- slang-like
- slangly
- slangology, slangologist
- slangster
- slanguage
- slangville
- slangwhanger
- slangwise
- slangy, slanginess
Descendants
- → Estonian: släng
- → German: Slang
- → Dutch: slang
- → Hebrew: סְלֶנְג (sleng)
- → Hungarian: szleng
- → Finnish: slangi
- → Indonesian: slank
- → Polish: slang
Translations
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
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Verb
slang (third-person singular simple present slangs, present participle slanging, simple past and past participle slanged)
- (transitive, dated) To vocally abuse, or shout at.
- 1888, Rudyard Kipling, “Miss Youghal's Sais”, Plain Tales from the Hills, Folio Society 2007, p. 26,
- Also, he had to keep his temper when he was slanged in the theatre porch by a policeman.
- 1907, E.M. Forster, The Longest Journey, Part I, XII [Uniform ed., p. 130]:
- Stephen feared that he would yell louder, and was hostile. But they made friends and treated each other, and slanged the proprietor and ragged the pretty girls …
- 1912, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Lost World:
- "If they had been a row of his favorite Pressmen he could not have slanged them worse."
- 1888, Rudyard Kipling, “Miss Youghal's Sais”, Plain Tales from the Hills, Folio Society 2007, p. 26,
See also
- Category:English slang
Verb
slang
- (archaic) simple past tense of sling
- 1836, Edward Bagnall, Saul and David:
- Before he slang the all-deciding stone […]
-
Alternative forms
- slanket
Noun
slang (plural slangs)
- (UK, dialect) Any long, narrow piece of land; a promontory.
- 1610, William Camden, Philémon Holland, transl., Britain, or A Chorographicall Description of the Most Flourishing Kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland, […], London: […] [Eliot’s Court Press for] Georgii Bishop & Ioannis Norton, OCLC 1166778000:
- There runneth forth into the sea a certaine shelfe or slang, like unto an out~thrust tongue.
-
Etymology 4
Compare sling.
Noun
slang (plural slangs)
- (UK, obsolete) A fetter worn on the leg by a convict.
- (UK, obsolete, slang) A counterfeit weight or measure.
- (UK, obsolete, slang) A travelling show, or one of its performances.
- (UK, obsolete, slang) A hawker's license.
- (UK, obsolete, slang) A watchchain.
Further reading
- slang in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- slang in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911
- slang at OneLook Dictionary Search
Etymology 5
The same as sling which is also used in this sense. The vowel exhibits the lowering of /ɪ/ before /ŋ/ distinguishing for African American Vernacular English, as in thang for thing, but the word has spread with this pronunciation outside the accents that exhibit this feature.
Verb
slang (third-person singular simple present slangs, present participle slanging, simple past and past participle slanged)
- (transitive, African-American Vernacular, MLE) To sell (especially illegal drugs).
- 2014, Cdai (lyrics), “Bail Out”, performed by RondoNumbaNine ft. Cdai:
- Everyday I wake up gotta get back to the gwop
Just another fuckin day in that gangway slangin rocks
- 2016, TG Millian (lyrics), “Call Me A Spartan”, performed by Harlem Spartans (Blanco, Zico, Bis, TG Millian, MizorMac):
- Whip, whip in the trap do up kitchen that's food (that's food)
Cookin up grub
Fuck, these niggas cookin up soup (uhhhhh)
Slang the crack or the black
Put the light and dark on the move
Gold and brown and cute
Gyal love me and I love them too (too)
- 2017, Digga D (lyrics), “Next Up?”, performed by 1011 (Digga D x Sav'O x T.Y):
- Bro I’m booky, I’ll take your food if my belly starts rumbling
They rap about bootings, they ain’t blammed nobody
Hold that properly when I bang that dotty
I put sniff in a rex, and I slang that bobby
- 2019 October 18, “Feed' Em”, performed by #SG Jibbzy, 1:17–1:23:
- Bro is in the kitchen, know he can’t cook
He is whipping shit that we use to slang
This fat prick wanna chat on YouTube
still had to cheat to deny he’s gang
- Synonyms: sling, flog
-
Anagrams
- glans, langs
Afrikaans
Etymology
From Dutch slang (“snake, serpent”), from Middle Dutch slange (“snake, serpent”), from Old Dutch slango (“snake, serpent”), from Proto-Germanic *slangô (“snake, serpent”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [slɑŋ]
Audio (file)
Noun
slang (plural slange)
- snake; serpent
- 1983, E. P. Groenewald et al. (translators), Bybel, Genesis 3:2:
- Die vrou het die slang geantwoord: “Ons mag eet van die vrugte van die bome in die tuin.
- The woman answered the serpent: “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden.
- Die vrou het die slang geantwoord: “Ons mag eet van die vrugte van die bome in die tuin.
- 1983, E. P. Groenewald et al. (translators), Bybel, Genesis 3:2:
Related terms
- grootslang
Cebuano
Etymology
Borrowed from English slang. A false friend.
Noun
slang
- (colloquial, informal) twang, foreign accent
Adjective
slang
- (colloquial, informal) (usually of English speakers) Having a regional or foreign accent.
Czech
Noun
slang m
- slang
Danish
Etymology 1
Borrowed from English slang.
Noun
slang c (singular definite slangen or slanget, not used in plural form)
- Language outside of conventional usage, slang.
Inflection
common gender | Singular | |
---|---|---|
indefinite | definite | |
nominative | slang | slangen slanget |
genitive | slangs | slangens slangets |
Derived terms
- slangord
- slangordbog
- slangudtryk
Etymology 2
See slange.
Verb
slang
- imperative of slange
Dutch
Etymology 1
From Middle Dutch slange, from Old Dutch slango, from Proto-Germanic *slangô (“snake, serpent”).
Pronunciation
audio (file) - IPA(key): /slɑŋ/
- Hyphenation: slang
- Rhymes: -ɑŋ
Noun
slang f (plural slangen, diminutive slangetje n)
- snake, squamate of the suborder Serpentes
- Synonym: serpent
- Hypernym: reptiel
- hose (flexible tube)
Hyponyms
- adder
- boa
- boomslang
- cobra
- gifslang
- python
- ratelslang
- wurgslang
- zeeslang
Derived terms
- aardslang
- afgodslang
- aspisslang
- boomslang
- brilslang
- dobbelsteenslang
- esculaapslang
- gifslang
- gladde slang
- grootslang
- hagedisslang
- koningsslang
- koraalslang
- kousenbandslang
- luipaardslang
- melkslang
- ratelslang
- reuzenslang
- ringslang
- sawaslang
- slangenarend
- slangenbeet
- slangengif
- slangenmens
- stofzuigerslang
- tijgerslang
- toornslang
- trapslang
- tuinslang
- waterslang
- wormslang
- wrattenslang
- wurgslang
- zeeslang
Descendants
- Afrikaans: slang
- Berbice Creole Dutch: slanggi
- Negerhollands: slang, slaṅ
- Skepi Creole Dutch: slanka
- → Aukan: salan
- → Caribbean Javanese: selang
- → Indonesian: slang (“hose”)
- → Papiamentu: slan
Etymology 2
Borrowed from English slang.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /slɛŋ/
- Hyphenation: slang
- Rhymes: -ɛŋ
Noun
slang n (plural slangs, diminutive slangetje n)
- language outside the conventional register specific to a social group, slang
Anagrams
- glans, langs
French
Etymology
From English slang.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /slaŋɡ/
Noun
slang m (plural slangs)
- English slang
- Twain fut un des premiers auteurs provenant des terres intérieures des États-Unis qui a su capturer la distinction, le slang comique et l'iconoclasme de sa nation.
See also
- argot
Further reading
- “slang”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Indonesian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /s(ə)laŋ/
- Rhymes: -laŋ, -aŋ, -ŋ
- Hyphenation: slang
Etymology 1
From Dutch slang (“hose”, literally “snake”), from Middle Dutch slange, from Old Dutch slango, from Proto-Germanic *slangô (“snake, serpent”).
Noun
slang (first-person possessive slangku, second-person possessive slangmu, third-person possessive slangnya)
- (rare) hose (flexible tube).
Usage notes
Rarely used to avoid confusion with the second sense (from English slang). The alternative form selang is used instead, and becoming acceptable.
Synonyms
- هوس (hos) (Standard Malay)
- selang
Etymology 2
From English slang.
Noun
slang (first-person possessive slangku, second-person possessive slangmu, third-person possessive slangnya)
- (linguistics) slang, unconventional language.
Synonyms
- selang
- slanga (Standard Malay)
Further reading
- “slang” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Language Development and Fostering Agency — Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic Indonesia, 2016.
Limburgish
Etymology 1
From Dutch slang.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [slɑŋ(ɡ)]
Noun
slang f
- hose (flexible tube)
Inflection
This entry needs an inflection-table template.
Etymology 2
Borrowed from English slang.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [slæŋ(ɡ)]
Noun
slang f
- slang
Inflection
This entry needs an inflection-table template.
Norwegian Bokmål
Etymology 1
From English slang.
Noun
slang m (definite singular slangen)
- slang (non-standard informal language)
Related terms
- sjargong
Verb
slang
- imperative of slange
References
- “slang” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
Norwegian Nynorsk
Etymology
From English slang.
Noun
slang m (definite singular slangen)
- slang (non-standard informal language)
Related terms
- sjargong
References
- “slang” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
Polish
Etymology
Borrowed from English slang.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /slaŋk/
Audio (file) - Rhymes: -aŋk
- Syllabification: slang
Noun
slang m inan
- (linguistics) argot, jargon, slang
- Synonyms: argot, gwara, żargon
Declension
singular | plural | |
---|---|---|
nominative | slang | slangi |
genitive | slangu | slangów |
dative | slangowi | slangom |
accusative | slang | slangi |
instrumental | slangiem | slangami |
locative | slangu | slangach |
vocative | slangu | slangi |
Derived terms
- slangowy
Related terms
- slangowo
Further reading
- slang in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
- slang in Polish dictionaries at PWN
Romanian
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from English slang.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /slenɡ/
Noun
slang n (plural slanguri)
- slang
Declension
singular | plural | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
indefinite articulation | definite articulation | indefinite articulation | definite articulation | |
nominative/accusative | (un) slang | slangul | (niște) slanguri | slangurile |
genitive/dative | (unui) slang | slangului | (unor) slanguri | slangurilor |
vocative | slangule | slangurilor |
Synonyms
- argou
Swedish
Etymology 1
From Low German and Middle Low German slange, from Old Saxon slango, from Proto-Germanic *slangô.
Noun
slang c
- hose, tube, flexible pipe
Declension
Declension of slang | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Singular | Plural | |||
Indefinite | Definite | Indefinite | Definite | |
Nominative | slang | slangen | slangar | slangarna |
Genitive | slangs | slangens | slangars | slangarnas |
Etymology 2
From English slang.
Noun
slang c
- (uncountable) slang (language)
Declension
Declension of slang | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Uncountable | ||||
Indefinite | Definite | |||
Nominative | slang | slangen | — | — |
Genitive | slangs | slangens | — | — |
Anagrams
- glans
Tagalog
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈslaŋ/, [ˈslaŋ]
Noun
slang
- Alternative form of islang
Adjective
slang
- Alternative form of islang
West Frisian
Etymology
From Old Frisian *slanga, from Proto-Germanic *slangô.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /slaŋ/
Noun
slang c (plural slangen, diminutive slankje)
- snake
Alternative forms
- slange
Further reading
- “slang”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011