Associations to the word «Idiom»

Wiktionary

IDIOM, noun. (now rare) A manner of speaking, a way of expressing oneself.
IDIOM, noun. A language or dialect.
IDIOM, noun. Specifically, a particular variety of language; a restricted dialect used in a given historical period, context etc.
IDIOM, noun. An artistic style (for example, in art, architecture, or music); an instance of such a style.
IDIOM, noun. 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.
IDIOM, noun. (programming) A programming construct or phraseology generally held to be the most efficient or elegant means to achieve a particular result or behavior.
IDIOM BLEND, noun. (rare neologism) A malaphor: an error in which two similar figures of speech are merged, producing a nonsensical result.
IDIOM NEUTRAL, proper noun. An artificial language, partially derived from Volapük, with a vocabulary consistently selected on the basis of the maximum internationality of the roots.

Dictionary definition

IDIOM, noun. A manner of speaking that is natural to native speakers of a language.
IDIOM, noun. The usage or vocabulary that is characteristic of a specific group of people; "the immigrants spoke an odd dialect of English"; "he has a strong German accent"; "it has been said that a language is a dialect with an army and navy".
IDIOM, noun. The style of a particular artist or school or movement; "an imaginative orchestral idiom".
IDIOM, noun. An expression whose meanings cannot be inferred from the meanings of the words that make it up.

Wise words

Truthful words are not beautiful; beautiful words are not truthful. Good words are not persuasive; persuasive words are not good.
Lao-Tzu