Dialect
/ˈdaɪ.ə.lekt/noun
A regional, social, or stylistic variety of a language.
Did you know?The word ultimately comes from Greek *dialektos*, used for both “conversation” and a distinctive way of speaking, showing that language was originally understood as something spoken into being.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*deyḱ-
“to show, point out”
Ancient Greek
Greek
dialegesthai
“to converse, speak with one another”
Ancient Greek
Greek
dialektos
“conversation; manner of speaking; a regional variety of speech”
Late Latin
Latin
dialectus
“a dialect or mode of speech”
14th Century
English
dialecte
“a form or manner of speaking; later, a regional variety of a language”
Modern English
English
dialect
“a regional, social, or stylistic variety of a language”