Main Entry: di·a·lect

Pronunciation: \ˈdī-ə-ˌlekt\

Function: noun

Usage: often attributive

Etymology: Middle French dialecte, from Latin dialectus, from Greek dialektos conversation, dialect, from dialegesthai to converse — more at dialogue

Date: 1577

1 a : a regional variety of language distinguished by features of vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation from other regional varieties and constituting together with them a single language <the Doric dialect of ancient Greek> b : one of two or more cognate languages <French and Italian are Romance dialects> c : a variety of a language used by the members of a group <such dialects as politics and advertising — Philip Howard> d : a variety of language whose identity is fixed by a factor other than geography (as social class) <spoke a rough peasant dialect> e : register 4c f : a version of a computer programming language
2 : manner or means of expressing oneself : phraseology

— di·a·lec·tal \ˌdī-ə-ˈlek-t^əl\ adjective

— di·a·lec·tal·ly \-tə-lē\ adverb