idiom

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the style of a particular artist or school or movement

   an imaginative orchestral idiom

2. 2
   noun

   an expression whose meaning cannot be inferred from the meanings of the words that make it up

   The English language is full of interesting idioms.

3. 3
   noun

   A manner of speaking, a mode of expression peculiar to a language, language family, or group of people.

   In English, idiom requires the indefinite article in a phrase such as "she's an engineer", whereas in Spanish, idiom forbids it.

4. 4
   noun

   A language or language variety; specifically, a restricted dialect used in a given historical period, context etc.

   In the idiom of the day, they were sutlers, although today they'd probably be called vendors.

5. 5
   noun

   An established phrasal expression whose meaning may not be deducible from the literal meanings of its component words.

   She often spoke in idioms, pining for salad days and complaining about pots calling the kettle black.

6. 6
   noun

   An artistic style (for example, in art, architecture, or music); an instance of such a style.

   the idiom of the expressionists

7. 7
   noun

   a manner of speaking that is natural to native speakers of a language

8. 8
   noun

   the usage or vocabulary that is characteristic of a specific group of people

Etymology

From Middle French idiome, and its source, Late Latin idioma, from Ancient Greek ἰδίωμα (idíōma, “a peculiarity, property, a peculiar phraseology, idiom”), from ἰδιοῦσθαι (idioûsthai, “to make one's own, appropriate to oneself”), from ἴδιος (ídios, “one's own, pertaining to oneself, private, personal, peculiar, separate”). By surface analysis, idi- + -om.