idiom

For Wiktionary's handling of idioms, see Wiktionary:Idioms

English

Wikipedia

Etymology

From Middle French idiome, and its source, Late Latin idioma, from Ancient Greek ἰδίωμα (idioma, “a peculiarity, property, a peculiar phraseology, idiom”), from ἰδιοῦσθαι (idiousthai, “to make one's own, appropriate to oneself”), from ἴδιος (idios, “one's own, pertaining to oneself, private, personal, peculiar, separate”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈɪdɪəm/

• Audio (GB)

  (file)

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

idiom (plural idioms or idiomata)

1. (now rare) A manner of speaking, a way of expressing oneself.
2. A language or dialect.
3. Specifically, a particular variety of language; a restricted dialect used in a given historical period, context etc.
   • 2010, Christopher Hitchens, "The Other L-Word", Vanity Fair, 13 Jan 2010:

     Many parents and teachers have become irritated to the point of distraction at the way the weed-style growth of "like" has spread through the idiom of the young.

4. An artistic style (for example, in art, architecture, or music); an instance of such a style.
5. An expression peculiar to or characteristic of a particular language, especially when the meaning is illogical or separate from the meanings of its component words.
   • 2008, Patricia Hampl, “You’re History”, in Patricia Hampl and Elaine Tyler May (editors), Tell Me True: Memoir, History, and Writing a Life, Minnesota Historical Society, ISBN 9780873516303, page 134:

     You’re history, we say […] . Surely it is an American idiom. Impossible to imagine a postwar European saying, “You’re history. . . . That’s history,” meaning fuhgeddaboudit, pal.

6. (programming) A programming construct or phraseology generally held to be the most efficient, elegant or effective means to achieve a particular result or behavior.
   • 2005, Magnus Lie Hetland, Beginning Python: From Novice to Professional, ISBN 159059519X, page 100:

     I have to use the same assignment and call to raw_input in two places. How can I avoid that? I can use the while True/break idiom: […]

Synonyms

• (phrase): expression (loosely), form of words (loosely), phrase (loosely)

Derived terms

• idiolect
• idiomatic
• idiomatical
• idiomatically

Related terms

• idiosyncratic
• idiot

Translations

expression peculiar to a given language

• Arabic: اِصْطِلاح m (iṣṭalāħ), مُصْطَلَح m (muṣṭálaħ), اصطلاح m (iSTalaaH), مصطلح m (muSTálaH)
• Armenian: դարձված (darjvac)
• Catalan: idiotisme m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 成語 (zh), 成语 (zh) (chéngyǔ), 習慣用語 (zh), 习惯用语 (xíguàn yòngyǔ), 俗語 (zh), 俗语 (zh) (súyǔ)

• Czech: idiom (cs) m
• Danish: idiom
• Dutch: idioom (nl) n, taaleigen (nl) n
• Esperanto: idiotismo (eo)
• Finnish: idiomi (fi), sanonta (fi)
• French: idiotisme (fr) m
• Georgian: იდიომი (idiomi)
• German: Idiom (de) n, Redewendung (de) f
• Greek: ιδίωμα (el) n (idíoma)
• Hebrew: מטבע לשון (he) m (mitavah lashon)
• Hindi: मुहावरा (muhāvarā)
• Hungarian: idióma
• Interlingua: idiotismo , idioma
• Italian: idiotismo (it) m, idiomatismo m
• Japanese: 熟語 (ja) (じゅくご, jukugo), 成句 (ja) (せいく, seiku)

• Korean: 숙어 (suk-eo) (熟語)
• Macedonian: идиом m (idióm)
• Manx: corghlare f
• Maori: kīrehu
• Norwegian: idiom (no)
• Persian: اصطلاح (fa), زبان زد ـ زبانزد
• Polish: idiom (pl) m
• Portuguese: idioma (pt) m, expressão idiomática (pt) f
• Romanian: idiom (ro)
• Russian: идиома (ru) f (idióma), идиоматический оборот m (idiomatíčeskij oborót), идиоматическое выражение n (idiomatíčeskoje vyražénije)
• Scottish Gaelic: gnàthas-cainnt m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: идиом

  Roman: idiom

• Spanish: idiotismo (es) m, idiomatismo m, modismo m
• Swedish: idiom (sv) n
• Telugu: జాతీయము (te) (jātīyamu)
• Thai: สำนวน (th) (sămnuan)
• Turkish: deyim (tr)
• Vietnamese: thành ngữ (vi), thổ ngữ (vi)
• Welsh: idiom (cy)

manner of speaking

• Finnish: puhetapa, puheenparsi (fi), idiomi (fi)
• French: idiome (fr) m

• Scottish Gaelic: gnàthas-cainnt m

distinct style of art, etc

• Finnish: käsiala (fi)

• Japanese: 様式 (ja) (ようしき, yōshiki)

instance of such style

• Finnish: kädenjälki

language

• Finnish: kieli (fi)
• French: idiome (fr) m

• Japanese: 方言 (ja) (ほうげん, hōgen), 訛り (なまり, namari)
• Spanish: idioma (es) m

See also

• Category:Idioms by language

External links

• American idioms - a comprehensive list of idioms, browsable through alphabetical links. Includes parts of speech, definitions and example sentences.
• English and American Idioms - RSS subscription channel
• Glossary of Linguistics
• Today's English Idioms at GoEnglish.com

• idiom in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• idiom in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911

Anagrams

• imido

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Polish

Wikipedia ^pl

Pronunciation

• audio

  (file)

Noun

idiom m

1. idiom

Declension

    declension of idiom

	singular	plural
nominative	idiom	idiomy
genitive	idiomu	idiomów
dative	idiomowi	idiomom
accusative	idiom	idiomy
instrumental	idiomem	idiomami
locative	idiomie	idiomach
vocative	idiomie	idiomy

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Serbo-Croatian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /idǐoːm/
• Hyphenation: i‧di‧om

Noun

idìōm m (Cyrillic spelling идѝо̄м)

1. idiom

Declension

    declension of idiom

	singular	plural
nominative	idìōm	idiomi
genitive	idióma	idioma
dative	idiomu	idiomima
accusative	idiom	idiome
vocative	idiome	idiomi
locative	idiomu	idiomima
instrumental	idiomom	idiomima