Advertisement

View synonyms for vernacular

vernacular

[ver-nak-yuh-ler, vuh-nak-]

adjective

  1. (of language) native to a place (literary ).

  2. expressed or written in the native language of a place, as literary works.

    a vernacular poem.

  3. using such a language.

    a vernacular speaker.

  4. of or relating to such a language.

  5. using plain, everyday, ordinary language.

  6. of, relating to, or characteristic of architectural vernacular.

  7. noting or pertaining to the common name for a plant or animal.

  8. Obsolete.,  (of a disease) endemic.



noun

  1. the native speech or language of a place.

  2. the language or vocabulary peculiar to a class or profession.

  3. a vernacular word or expression.

  4. the plain variety of language in everyday use by ordinary people.

  5. the common name of an animal or plant as distinguished from its Latin scientific name.

  6. a style of architecture exemplifying the commonest techniques, decorative features, and materials of a particular historical period, region, or group of people.

  7. any medium or mode of expression that reflects popular taste or local styles.

vernacular

/ vəˈnækjʊlə /

noun

  1. the commonly spoken language or dialect of a particular people or place

  2. a local style of architecture, in which ordinary houses are built

    this architect has re-created a true English vernacular

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

  1. relating to, using, or in the vernacular

  2. designating or relating to the common name of an animal or plant

  3. built in the local style of ordinary houses, rather than a grand architectural style

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Discover More

Other Word Forms

  • vernacularly adverb
  • nonvernacular adjective
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of vernacular1

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin vernācul(us), “household, domestic, native” (apparently adjective use of vernāculus, diminutive of verna “slave born in the master's household”; further origin uncertain) + -ar 1
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of vernacular1

C17: from Latin vernāculus belonging to a household slave, from verna household slave
Discover More

Synonym Study

Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

There are added scenes and plenty of salty language, with dialogue that shifts from classical to 21st century vernacular.

The language of the play moves freely from the declamatory to the profane, with some of its funniest moments occurring when fury impels a character to unleash some naughty modern vernacular.

With Huck and other white people, James uses a “slave filter” vernacular; apart from them, he can be his articulate self.

This media can’t be boring or overly wonky — it must speak in popular vernaculars with style and panache.

From Salon

“The banter in the film is very regional, feels like New England to me, a place where sports are so much a part of the culture that they’ve infused the vernacular.”

Advertisement

Related Words

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


Vernavernacularism