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Antonyms for patois


Grammar : Noun
Spell : pat-wah, pah-twah; French pa-twa
Phonetic Transcription : ˈpæt wɑ, ˈpɑ twɑ; French paˈtwa



Definition of patois

Origin :
  • "a provincial dialect," 1640s, from French patois "native or local speech" (13c.), of uncertain origin, probably from Old French patoier "handle clumsily, to paw," from pate "a paw," from Vulgar Latin *patta (see patten), from notion of clumsy manner of speaking. Cf. French pataud "properly, a young dog with big paws, then an awkwardly built fellow" [Brachet]. Especially in reference to Jamaican English from 1934.
  • noun jargon
Example sentences :
  • Never a moment did that sublime spirit speak in their patois.
  • Extract from : « Essays, First Series » by Ralph Waldo Emerson
  • Walter Scott,” said he, “has run to death the method of patois dialogue.
  • Extract from : « Lavengro » by George Borrow
  • He only spoke in the patois, which Frank understood very well.
  • Extract from : « The Silver Lining » by John Roussel
  • There is no mistaking it; it is peculiar to Pont du Sable, and note, too, her patois!
  • Extract from : « A Village of Vagabonds » by F. Berkeley Smith
  • Among Anglo-American hunters, it is called the panther—in their patois, “painter.”
  • Extract from : « The Hunters' Feast » by Mayne Reid
  • For his benefit the Cape patois was promoted to the rank of a language.
  • Extract from : « South Africa and the Transvaal War, Vol. 1 (of 6) » by Louis Creswicke
  • Their language was a Spanish patois; their voices were sharp and disagreeable.
  • Extract from : « The Scalp Hunters » by Mayne Reid
  • For there is a separate race, with its own patois, in Monaco.
  • Extract from : « Riviera Towns » by Herbert Adams Gibbons
  • The man spoke in patois French, the woman in her native Cree language.
  • Extract from : « The Buffalo Runners » by R.M. Ballantyne
  • It was the Spanish language, spoken in the patois of the Aztec Indians.
  • Extract from : « The Rifle Rangers » by Captain Mayne Reid

Synonyms for patois

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019