patois

Definition

A regional dialect (usually one considered substandard) of a language (especially French).

Etymology

Borrowed from French patois (“regional dialect or language”), c. 1635.

Example Sentences

• "[The Sundanese] are regarded as relatively barbarous, and in the company of Malays or Javanese, they are themselves ashamed of their dialect, which is looked on as a sort of rude patois."
• "*The Expanse'*s patois has become, like Klingon and Dothraki, the show's great unifier—the slang all devotees speak."
• "In the patois of insurance, the winery will go bare into this year’s burning season, which experts predict to be especially fierce."