patois

Meaning

1. (countable, uncountable) A regional dialect (usually one considered substandard) of a language (especially French).
2. (countable, uncountable) Any of various French or Occitan dialects spoken in France.
3. (countable, uncountable) Creole French in the Caribbean (especially in Dominica, St. Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Haiti).
4. (Jamaica, countable, uncountable) Jamaican Patois, a Jamaican creole language based primarily on English and African languages but also having influences from Spanish, Portuguese, and Hindi.
5. (countable, uncountable) Jargon or cant.

Synonyms

dialect

lingo

slang

vernacular

jargon

argot

idiom

cant

lect

phraseology

pooch

provincialism

variant

variety

Arpitan

Translations

patois

Mundart

Dialekt

dialecte

murmullo

susurro

parlottio

streektaal

rumore di voci

algarabía

dialecto

jargon

arpitan

Pronounced as (IPA)

/pæˈtwɑ/

Etymology

1635, from French patois (“regional dialect or language”).