Hypertext Webster Gateway: "patois"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Patois \Pa`tois"\, n. [F.]
A dialect peculiar to the illiterate classes; a provincial
form of speech.
The jargon and patois of several provinces. --Sir T.
Browne.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
patois
n 1: a characteristic language of a particular group (as among
thieves); "they don't speak our lingo" [syn: {cant}, {jargon},
{slang}, {lingo}, {argot}, {vernacular}]
2: a regional dialect of a language (especially French);
usually considered substandard
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