Patois
/ˈpætwɑː/noun
A regional dialect or nonstandard variety of a language, especially one considered rustic or unstandardized.
Did you know?Patois comes through French from a verb meaning “to paw” or “flail,” as if nonstandard speech was once imagined as something rough, ungroomed, and unruly.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pat-
“to strike, beat, tread”
Late Latin
Latin
*pattāre
“to paw, strike with the feet”
Old French
Old French
patois
“rough, rural speech; dialect”
Middle French
French
patois
“a local or provincial speech variety”
Modern English
English
patois
“a regional dialect or nonstandard form of speech”