cryptolect
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English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From 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)