Wordul · all words

noun · 2 syllables · /'lɪŋ.goʊ/

LINGO

What does "LINGO" mean?

The special vocabulary or jargon used by a particular group.

Meanings

  1. The specialized or technical vocabulary of a particular field, group, or activity, often hard for outsiders to follow. It took me weeks to pick up the surfers' lingo. informal
  2. A foreign or unfamiliar language (now somewhat dated). He couldn't follow a word of the local lingo on his first day abroad. informal

Did you know?

  • 'Lingo' and 'language', 'linguistics', and 'lingua franca' all trace back to the Latin 'lingua', meaning tongue - the literal body part doing the talking.

Word origin

Probably from Provençal or Portuguese 'lingoa', from Latin 'lingua', meaning tongue or language; possibly reinforced through the trade pidgin 'lingua franca'.

Remember it

LINGO starts like 'lingua' (Latin for tongue) and 'linguistics' - all the talking words share that tongue.

A little poem

Each trade builds a fence of words to keep the outsider out;
learn the lingo, and the fence becomes a door.

couplet

Wordplay

  • I joined the linguistics club but couldn't follow the conversation. Turns out their lingo was a foreign tongue - literally and figuratively.

What it teaches

Every jargon is a gate; learning the lingo is how outsiders quietly become insiders.

Quick facts

What does LINGO mean?

The special vocabulary or jargon used by a particular group.

Is LINGO a valid word?

Yes — LINGO is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.

How many letters is LINGO?

LINGO has 5 letters and 2 syllables.

Where does LINGO come from?

Probably from Provençal or Portuguese 'lingoa', from Latin 'lingua', meaning tongue or language; possibly reinforced through the trade pidgin 'lingua franca'.

What can LINGO teach us?

Every jargon is a gate; learning the lingo is how outsiders quietly become insiders.

How players do

Be the first to solve it.

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