pidgin
pidgin Lexical Profile
pidgin Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A grammatically simplified form of a language, typically English, Dutch, or Portuguese, with vocabulary taken from two or more languages, used for communication between people not sharing a common native tongue.
"Maritime traders along the coast developed a pidgin to negotiate prices across language barriers."
• adjective
Of, relating to, or characteristic of a simplified contact language used for communication between speakers of different native tongues.
"The dockworkers communicated using a pidgin dialect that blended Spanish and English vocabulary."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse with its homophone 'pigeon' (the bird). In linguistics, a 'pidgin' is an auxiliary contact language with no native speakers, whereas a 'creole' is a fully developed language that evolves when a pidgin becomes the first language of a community.
• Rhymes for pidgin
Word Origin & Etymology
Originated in the early 19th century in Canton (modern-day Guangzhou), China, from the Chinese Pidgin English pronunciation of the English word 'business'.