see|Idiom
wikipedia
English

Pronunciation
AHD|ĭd'�-�m, IPA|/�ɪdɪ�m/, SAMPA|/"IdI?@m/

Etymology
Late 16th century, borrowed from MF. idiome, from late Latin idioma, from the Greek, "property, peculiarity" < idios (see idio-).

Noun
en-noun

1. A phrase characteristic of a particular language, that cannot necessarily be fully understood from the separate meanings of the individual words which form it, but instead must be learned as a whole unit of meaning.

#: You can't translate "kick the bucket" word for word into French with the same meaning because it's an idiom.

1. A manner of speaking, a way of expressing oneself.
2. A style (of art, architecture, music, etc.).
3. An instance of such style.
4. The term idiom is used by some linguists instead of language or dialect when there is no need to commit oneself to any decision on the status with respect to this distinction. Idiom is used to refer to the studied communicative system (that could be called either a dialect or a language) when its status with respect to this distinction is irrelevant (thus it is a synonym to language in the more general sense).

Synonyms
(phrase): expression (loosely), form of words (loosely), phrase (loosely)

Related terms
idiomatic
idiomatical
idiomatically

Translations
trans-top|phrase that cannot be understood from its component words
Chinese: �语 (chéng y�)�习��语 (xí guàn yòng y�)
Czech: #Czech|idiom m
Danish: idiom
Dutch: idioom n, taaleigen n
Esperanto: idiotismo
French: idiotisme m
German: Idiom n, Redewendung f
Greek: ιδί�μα (idíoma) n
Hebrew: ���ע �ש��
Interlingua: idiotismo<!--this translates "phrase", "expression" rather than "idiom": expression#Interlingua|expression-->, idioma
Italian: frase idiomatica f, locuzione f, modo di dire m, espressione idiomatica f
Korean: �� (��, suk-eo)
trans-mid
Polish: idiom m
Portuguese: idioma m, expressão idiomática f
Russian: идиома f, идиома�и�е�кий обо�о� m, идиома�и�е�кое в��ажение n
Spanish: modismo m, frase hecha f
Swedish: idiom
Turkish: deyim
trans-bottom

trans-top|manner of speaking
trans-mid
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trans-top|style of art, etc
trans-mid
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trans-top|instance of such style
trans-mid
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trans-top|specific property of any language
trans-mid
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See also
exocentric compound
listeme
:Category:Idioms for examples

Category:Greek derivations
Category:Semantics

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• 2007-12-17 05:29 - EncycloPetey - Undo revision 3433349 by [[Special:Contributions/122.106.124.152|122.106.124.152]] ([[User talk:122.106.124.152|Talk]])

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