language

noun lan·guage \ ˈlaŋ-gwij , -wij \

|Updated on: 11 Aug 2018

Definition of language

1 a : the words, their pronunciation, and the methods of combining them used and understood by a community

studied the French language

b (1) : audible, articulate, meaningful sound as produced by the action of the vocal organs

(2) : a systematic means of communicating ideas or feelings by the use of conventionalized signs, sounds, gestures, or marks having understood meanings

the language of mathematics

(3) : the suggestion by objects, actions, or conditions of associated ideas or feelings

language in their very gesture
—William Shakespeare

(4) : the means by which animals communicate

the language of birds

(5) : a formal system of signs and symbols (such as FORTRAN or a calculus in logic) including rules for the formation and transformation of admissible expressions

(6) : machine language 1

2 a : form or manner of verbal expression; specifically : style

the beauty of Shakespeare's language

b : the vocabulary and phraseology belonging to an art or a department of knowledge

the language of diplomacy

medical language

c : profanity

shouldn't of blamed the fellers if they'd cut loose with some language
—Ring Lardner

3 : the study of language especially as a school subject

earned a grade of B in language

4 : specific words especially in a law or regulation

The police were diligent in enforcing the language of the law.

See language defined for English-language learners

See language defined for kids

Examples of language in a Sentence

How many languages do you speak?
French is her first language.
The book has been translated into several languages.
He's learning English as a second language.
a new word that has recently entered the language
the formal language of the report
the beauty of Shakespeare's language
She expressed her ideas using simple and clear language.
He is always careful in his use of language.

Recent Examples of language from the Web

Bondarchuk's 2015 debut feature, the playful documentary Ukrainian Sheriffs, was Ukraine's official submission to the foreign-language Oscar race.

— stephen dalton, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Volcano': Film Review | Karlovy Vary 2018," 13 July 2018
Together these fine companies bring you Fandingo, the app for foreign-language films that explains what the heck is going on.

— david pogue, Scientific American, "Megamergers I’d Like to See," 13 July 2018
Netflix already offers English-speaking viewers a very strong portfolio of high quality foreign-language detective shows, so this Chandra adaptation feels like an obvious choice.

— josephine livingstone, The New Republic, "Sacred Games Reinvents the Police Procedural," 12 July 2018
Usually, the instructor is a graduate student getting certified in teaching English as a foreign language.

— anya van wagtendonk, Philly.com, "For these immigrants, flipping pancakes and learning English go hand-in-hand," 12 July 2018
Lawyers can then tinker with it further to recognise more obscure clauses, or even those in different languages.

— The Economist, "Law firms climb aboard the AI wagon," 12 July 2018
Committee members agreed the district should develop training information for parents in multiple languages and train all staff on basic lifesaving techniques every two years.

— shelby webb, Houston Chronicle, "Clear Creek ISD security panel opts against metal detectors, armed teachers," 12 July 2018
That gap was bridged by the help of other refugees, and specifically refugee children who helped to translate the foreign languages to help officers and paramedics provide the best lifesaving care possible.

— katy moeller, idahostatesman, "A week after stabbings, his city gives Boise's police chief hope 'to create good out of horror'," 7 July 2018
Another district offers foreign language instruction only on the internet while wealthy districts in the Johnson County area can offer Chinese immersion.

— steve kraske, kansascity, "Here's a straight-talkin' candidate for Kansas governor you should consider," 28 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'language.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of language

Middle English, from Anglo-French langage, from lange, langue tongue, language, from Latin lingua — more at tongue

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

language Synonyms

Synonyms

lingo, mother tongue, speech, tongue, vocabulary;

colloquialism, localism, provincialism, regionalism, shibboleth, vernacularism;

terminology;

coinage, modernism, neologism;

Other Grammar and Linguistics Terms

ablaut, allusion, anacoluthon, diacritic, gerund, idiom, infinitive, metaphor, semiotics, simile

LANGUAGE Defined for English Language Learners

language

noun

Definition of language for English Language Learners

: the system of words or signs that people use to express thoughts and feelings to each other
: any one of the systems of human language that are used and understood by a particular group of people
: words of a particular kind