- a variety of a language that is distinguished from other varieties of the same language by features of phonology, grammar, and vocabulary, and by its use by a group of speakers who are set off from others geographically or socially.
- a provincial, rural, or socially distinct variety of a language that differs from the standard language, especially when considered as substandard.
- a special variety of a language: The literary dialect is usually taken as the standard language.
- a language considered as one of a group that have a common ancestor: Persian, Latin, and English are Indo-European dialects.
- jargon or cant.
- a form of a language spoken in a particular geographical area or by members of a particular social class or occupational group, distinguished by its vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation
- a form of a language that is considered inferior
- (as modifier)
