idiom
Other forms: idioms
An idiom is an expression particular to a specific language or culture. An idiom doesn't make literal sense: Telling someone to "break a leg" isn't wishing them harm; it's wishing them good luck!
Idiom comes from the Greek idios, meaning "one's own," "distinctive," or "private." Originally, an idiom was not limited to language; it was any peculiarity or characteristic of an individual person, group, or language. In early linguistics, it referred to any language-specific expressions, even those that were perfectly literal. Over time, the meaning narrowed, and now an idiom is any fixed expression whose meaning cannot be deduced literally, like kick the bucket, meaning "to die." If you're studying a foreign language, idioms are some of the hardest phrases to translate.
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an expression whose meanings cannot be inferred from the meanings of the words that make it upsynonyms: idiomatic expression, phrasal idiom, phrase, set phrase
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a manner of speaking that is natural to native speakers of a languagesynonyms: parlance
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the usage or vocabulary that is characteristic of a specific group of peopletypes:eye dialectthe use of misspellings to identify a colloquial or uneducated speakerpatoisa regional dialect of a language (especially French); usually considered substandardbroguea strong regional accent, especially an Irish or Scottish accenttype of:non-standard speechspeech that differs from the usual accepted, easily recognizable speech of native adult members of a speech community
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the style of a particular artist or school or movement“an imaginative orchestral idiom”synonyms: artistic styletypes:baroque, baroquenesselaborate and extensive ornamentation in decorative art and architecture that flourished in Europe in the 17th centuryclassical stylethe artistic style of ancient Greek art with its emphasis on proportion and harmonyorder(architecture) one of original three styles of Greek architecture distinguished by the type of column and entablature used or a style developed from the original three by the Romansrococofanciful but graceful asymmetric ornamentation in art and architecture that originated in France in the 18th centuryHigh Renaissancethe artistic style of early 16th century painting in Florence and Rome; characterized by technical mastery and heroic composition and humanistic contenttreatmenta manner of dealing with something artisticallyneoclassicismrevival of a classical style (in art or literature or architecture or music) but from a new perspective or with a new motivationclassicalism, classicisma movement in literature and art during the 17th and 18th centuries in Europe that favored rationality and restraint and strict formsRomantic Movement, Romanticisma movement in literature and art during the late 18th and early 19th centuries that celebrated nature rather than civilizationDorian order, Doric orderthe oldest and simplest of the Greek orders and the only one that normally has no baseCorinthian orderthe last Greek order; similar to the Ionic order except the capital is decorated with carvings of acanthus leavesComposite ordera Roman order that combines the Corinthian acanthus leaves with the spiral scrolls of the Ionic orderTuscan ordera Roman order that resembles the Doric order but without a fluted shaft
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Vocabulary lists containing idiom
To improve your fluency in English Language Arts and Reading (ELAR), learn this academic vocabulary list that includes words selected from the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) state standards.
The origins of slang are unknown, but it was first used to describe the specialized words used by members of a specific group or trade. Learn this list of terms related to the informal language that groups use casually among themselves.