entry
language
/ˈleɪŋɡwɪdʒ/A system of words and grammar for communication
From Latin lingua (tongue).
from PIE root *dnghu- "tongue"). The -u- is an Anglo-French insertion (see gu- ); it was not originally pronounced. The...
from Vulgar Latin *linguaticum
+1 more sourcefrom Vulgar Latin *linguaticum
+1 more sourcefrom Old French language
from Old French langage "speech, words, oratory; a tribe, people, nation" (12c.)
+1 more sourceWord Ancestry
from PIE root *dnghu- "tongue"). The -u- is an Anglo-French insertion (see gu- ); it was not originally pronounced. The...
from Vulgar Latin *linguaticum
+1 more sourcefrom Vulgar Latin *linguaticum
+1 more sourcefrom Old French language
from Old French langage "speech, words, oratory; a tribe, people, nation" (12c.)
+1 more sourceBefore language became something you studied, it was something you carried in your mouth: Latin lingua meant both “tongue” and “speech.” That little organ traveled through Vulgar Latin as *linguāticum and into Old French language, where it could mean not only words but also a tribe or nation—the people bound together by shared speech. English adopted it in the late 13th century, displacing the native Old English ġeþēode, a reminder that English itself is a linguistic patchwork. The family resemblance survives in linguistic, bilingual, and lingua franca, while Urdu offers a more unexpected story: its name originally meant “camp,” because it grew as a means of communication among soldiers and local communities. A language, then, is quite literally a tongue that became a people, a tool, and eventually an entire world made of words.
The Story
Before language became something you studied, it was something you carried in your mouth: Latin lingua meant both “tongue” and “speech.” That little organ traveled through Vulgar Latin as *linguāticum and into Old French language, where it could mean not only words but also a tribe or nation—the people bound together by shared speech. English adopted it in the late 13th century, displacing the native Old English ġeþēode, a reminder that English itself is a linguistic patchwork. The family resemblance survives in linguistic, bilingual, and lingua franca, while Urdu offers a more unexpected story: its name originally meant “camp,” because it grew as a means of communication among soldiers and local communities. A language, then, is quite literally a tongue that became a people, a tool, and eventually an entire world made of words.
Modern Usage
A rebuke, often humorous, for using profanity or inappropriate language.
Notable References
- Urban Dictionary entry using “Language!” as a recurring response to profanity
Kin & Kindred
From 'lingua'·tongue; speech; language
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Etymonline
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary
Wikipedia
Wiktionary