Standard Lemma guide

jargon

noun · verb · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈdʒɑː.ɡən/
  • General-American: /ˈd͡ʒɑɹ.ɡən/
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɑː(ɹ)ɡən
  • CMU ARPABET: JH AA1 R G AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A technical terminology unique to a particular subject.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A language characteristic of a particular group.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Speech or language that is incomprehensible or unintelligible; gibberish.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Examples

  • Cut the jargon and get to your point.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

Alternative form of jargoon (“A variety of zircon”).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: alt-of, alternative, countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To utter jargon; to emit confused or unintelligible sounds.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

specialized technical terminology characteristic of a particular subject

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: expressive style, style

Narrower terms: doctorspeak, ecobabble, Eurobabble, gobbledygook, psychobabble, technobabble

7

noun

Meaning 7

a characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • they don't speak our lingo

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: slang, cant, lingo, argot, patois, vernacular

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: non-standard speech

Narrower terms: street name, rhyming slang

8

noun

Meaning 8

a colorless (or pale yellow or smoky) variety of zircon

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: jargoon

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: zircon, zirconium silicate

History

Etymology

From Middle English jargoun, jargon, from Old French jargon, a variant of gargon, gargun (“chatter; talk; language”).

Across languages

Translations

129 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: jargon — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Afrikaans: vaktaal — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Armenian: ժարգոն (žargon) — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Belarusian: жарго́н (žarhón) — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Bulgarian: жарго́н (žargón) — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Catalan: argot — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Chinese Mandarin: 行話 /行话 (hánghuà) — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Czech: žargon — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Danish: fagsprog — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Dutch: jargon — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Dutch: vaktaal — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Dutch: visserslatijn — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Esperanto: ĵargono — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Finnish: jargon — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Finnish: ammattikieli — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • French: jargon — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Friulian: zergon — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Galician: tecnicismo — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Galician: xerga — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Georgian: ჟარგონი (žargoni) — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • German: Fachjargon — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • German: Fachsprache — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Greek: ιδιογλωσσία (idioglossía) — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Hebrew: עגה (agá) — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Hebrew: ז׳רגון (zhargón) — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Hindi: शब्दावली (śabdāvlī) — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Hungarian: szaknyelv — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Hungarian: szakzsargon — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Hungarian: szakmai nyelv — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Icelandic: fagmál — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Indonesian: jargon — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Irish: béarlagair — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Italian: gergo — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Japanese: 専門用語 (senmon yōgo) — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Japanese: 業界用語 (gyōkai yōgo) — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Japanese: 隠語 (ingo) — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Japanese: ジャーゴン (jāgon) — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Korean: 전문어 (jeonmuneo) — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Korean: 전문 용어 (jeonmun yong'eo) — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Latvian: žargons — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Macedonian: жарго́н (žargón) — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Malay: jargon — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Māori: kupu-ā-kaupapa — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Māori: kupu kaupapa — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Piedmontese: gergh — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Polish: żargon — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Portuguese: jargão — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Romanian: jargon — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Russian: жарго́н (žargón) — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Slovak: žargón — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Spanish: tecnicismo — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Spanish: jerga — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Spanish: jerigonza — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Spanish: caliche — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Swahili: istilahi — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Swedish: fackspråk — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Swedish: jargong — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Turkish: jargon — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Turkish: argo — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Ukrainian: жарго́н (žarhón) — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Yiddish: זשאַרגאָן (zhargon) — technical terminology unique to a particular subject
  • Afrikaans: groepstaal — language characteristic of a particular group
  • Afrikaans: sosiolek — language characteristic of a particular group
  • Albanian: zhargon — language characteristic of a particular group
  • Armenian: ժարգոն (žargon) — language characteristic of a particular group
  • Bulgarian: жарго́н (žargón) — language characteristic of a particular group
  • Chinese Mandarin: 行語 /行语 (hángyǔ) — language characteristic of a particular group
  • Czech: žargon — language characteristic of a particular group
  • Dutch: jargon — language characteristic of a particular group
  • Finnish: slangi — language characteristic of a particular group
  • Finnish: jargon — language characteristic of a particular group
  • Finnish: ammattikieli — language characteristic of a particular group
  • French: jargon — language characteristic of a particular group
  • Galician: xerga — language characteristic of a particular group
  • Galician: latín — language characteristic of a particular group
  • Georgian: ჟარგონი (žargoni) — language characteristic of a particular group
  • German: Jargon — language characteristic of a particular group
  • German: Fachsprache — language characteristic of a particular group
  • Greek: ιδιογλωσσία (idioglossía) — language characteristic of a particular group
  • Greek: ιδιόλεκτος (idiólektos) — language characteristic of a particular group
  • Hebrew: עגה (agá) — language characteristic of a particular group
  • Hebrew: ניב (niv) — language characteristic of a particular group
  • Hebrew: ז׳רגון (zhargón) — language characteristic of a particular group
  • Hindi: शब्दावली (śabdāvlī) — language characteristic of a particular group
  • Hungarian: zsargon — language characteristic of a particular group
  • Hungarian: tolvajnyelv — language characteristic of a particular group
  • Irish: béarlagair — language characteristic of a particular group
  • Japanese: 隠語 (ingo) — language characteristic of a particular group
  • Japanese: スラング (surangu) — language characteristic of a particular group
  • Korean: 은어 (euneo) — language characteristic of a particular group
  • Macedonian: жарго́н (žargón) — language characteristic of a particular group
  • Polish: żargon — language characteristic of a particular group
  • Portuguese: gíria — language characteristic of a particular group
  • Russian: жарго́н (žargón) — language characteristic of a particular group
  • Slovak: žargón — language characteristic of a particular group
  • Spanish: jerga — language characteristic of a particular group
  • Spanish: argot — language characteristic of a particular group
  • Spanish: germanía — language characteristic of a particular group
  • Spanish: replana — language characteristic of a particular group
  • Swedish: jargong — language characteristic of a particular group
  • Turkish: jargon — language characteristic of a particular group
  • Turkish: argo — language characteristic of a particular group
  • Vietnamese: biệt ngữ — language characteristic of a particular group
  • Afrikaans: brabbeltaal — incomprehensible speech
  • Bulgarian: брътвеж (brǎtvež) — incomprehensible speech
  • Bulgarian: бръщолевене (brǎštolevene) — incomprehensible speech
  • Czech: žargon — incomprehensible speech
  • Dutch: gebrabbel — incomprehensible speech
  • Dutch: gewauwel — incomprehensible speech
  • Dutch: wartaal — incomprehensible speech
  • Finnish: mongerrus — incomprehensible speech
  • Finnish: siansaksa — incomprehensible speech
  • French: jargon — incomprehensible speech
  • French: charabia — incomprehensible speech
  • Galician: xerga — incomprehensible speech
  • Georgian: აბდაუბდა (abdaubda) — incomprehensible speech
  • Georgian: უაზრობა (uazroba) — incomprehensible speech
  • German: Jargon — incomprehensible speech
  • German: Fachchinesisch — incomprehensible speech
  • Greek: ακαταλαβίστικα (akatalavístika) — incomprehensible speech
  • Hungarian: halandzsa — incomprehensible speech
  • Hungarian: blabla — incomprehensible speech
  • Irish: gibiris — incomprehensible speech
  • Irish: dríodar cainte — incomprehensible speech
  • Japanese: たわごと (tawagoto) — incomprehensible speech
  • Polish: bełkot — incomprehensible speech
  • Portuguese: algaravia — incomprehensible speech
  • Russian: тараба́рщина (tarabárščina) — incomprehensible speech
  • Spanish: jerigonza — incomprehensible speech