ARCHAIC

(ADJ)

REFERRING TO WORDS AND LANGUAGE THAT WERE ONCE COMMON BUT NOW RARELY USED; ANCIENT

ARGOT

(N)

THE INFORMAL VOCABULARY USED BY A PARTICULAR CLASS OR GROUP, SUCH AS CRIMINALS; A SECRET LANGUAGE

CONNOTATION

(N)

THE MENTAL CONNECTIONS OR ASSOCIATIONS SUGGESTED BY

A WORD THAT GOES BEYOND ITS LITERAL MEANING OR ITS

DICTIONARY DEFINITION

DENOTATION

(N)

THE EXACT MEANING OF A WORD

IDIOM

(N)

AN EXPRESSION HAVING A SPECIAL MEANING THAT IS NOT CLEAR FROM THE USUAL MEANING OF THE INDIVIDUAL WORDS IN THE EXPRESSION

EX: "IT'S RAINING CATS AND DOGS"

JARGON

(N)

THE SPECIALIZED TECHNICAL VOCABULARY USED BY PEOPLE IN THE SAME PROFESSION OR FIELD

EX: COMPUTER JARGON;

HEALTH-CARE JARGON

SEMANTICS

(N)

THE STUDY OF HISTORICAL CHANGES IN THE MEANINGS OF WORDS

SLANG

(N)

HIGHLY INFORMAL LANGUAGE THAT OCCURS MOST OFTEN IN CASUAL CONVERSATION

STANDARD

(ADJ)

CONFORMING TO ESTABLISHED USAGE IN SPEECH OR WRITING

VERNACULAR

(N)

THE NORMAL SPOKEN LANGUAGE OF A COUNTRY OR REGION; EVERYDAY SPEECH