Lingo
/ˈlɪŋ.ɡoʊ/noun
Informal language, especially the specialized vocabulary of a particular group or field.
Did you know?“Lingo” first appeared in English as a slangy, often mocking word for strange or foreign-sounding talk, and may have been influenced by the older Italian word *lingua* (“tongue, language”).
Etymological Timeline
Late 16th Century
English
lingo
“Slang for strange, foreign, or unintelligible speech”
Early Modern English
English
lingo
“A colloquial term for a particular kind of speech or jargon”
Italian
Italian
lingua
“Tongue; language”
Latin
Latin
lingua
“Tongue; speech; language”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dn̥ǵʰwéh₂s
“Tongue”