lingo

noun

lin·​go ˈliŋ-(ˌ)gō 

plural lingos or lingoes

: strange or incomprehensible language or speech: such as

a

: a foreign language

It can be hard to travel in a foreign country if you don't speak the lingo.

b

: the special vocabulary of a particular field of interest

The book has a lot of computer lingo.

c

: language characteristic of an individual

He has his own lingo … and at the top of each shift, he delivers a monologue that sets the table for his show.

—Tim Sullivan

Synonyms

• language
• mother tongue
• speech
• tongue
• vocabulary

Examples of lingo in a Sentence

It can be hard to travel in a foreign country if you don't speak the lingo.

The book has a lot of computer lingo that I don't understand.

Recent Examples on the Web

Most of the Culver Cup finalists have some sort of filmmaking background or education, which has clearly given them a leg up in terms of the technical processes and general lingo involved in creation. —Marah Eakin, WIRED, 17 Oct. 2024

There is a guide to the scoring system; a look at players’ pre-match self-care rituals; a list of tennis lingo; and the players’ favorite shops on and off the Wimbledon grounds. —Hikmat Mohammed, WWD, 4 July 2024

Through always-aggressive Ani, Baker adopts global hip-hop cynicism and lingo, shifting that exploitative culture into global debauchery. —Armond White, National Review, 18 Oct. 2024

As governments start requiring companies to tackle their value chain emissions—known in technical lingo as scope 3 emissions—more companies will have to take on this challenge. —Justin Worland, TIME, 11 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

probably from Lingua Franca, language, tongue, from Occitan, from Latin lingua — more at tongue

First Known Use

1659, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

lingo

noun

lin·​go ˈliŋ-gō 

plural lingoes

: language that is strange or hard to understand