slang

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   Very informal words and expressions used in everyday speech rather than formal language.

   Teenagers often use slang that older people find hard to understand.

2. 2
   noun

   The special informal language used by a particular group of people.

   Prison slang can be almost impossible for outsiders to follow.

First use appears c. 1756, meaning "special vocabulary of tramps or thieves", origin unknown. Not believed to be connected with language or lingo. Possibly derived from a North Germanic source, then possibly related to Nordic language: Danish slænge, Icelandic and Norwegian Nynorsk slengja, Norwegian slenge, Swedish slänga (“to (carelessly) sling, throw, hurl; throw away, to dispose of; to flail”), with derivational nouns such as slæng, sleng, släng etc. Compare the compound: Danish slængenavn, Norwegian slengenavn, Norwegian Nynorsk slengenamn, Swedish slängnamn (“nickname, byname, informal n…

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