idiom means A manner of speaking, a mode of expression peculiar to a language, language family, or group of people.
idiom is pronounced /ˈɪdiəm/.
Why “idiom” is a great word
A phrase or expression whose meaning is not predictable from the usual meanings of its constituent elements, often peculiar to a specific language. From Middle French *idiome*, from Late Latin *idioma*, from Ancient Greek ἰδίωμα (*idíōma*, "a peculiarity, property, a peculiar phraseology"), from ἰδιοῦσθαι (*idioûsthai*, "to make one's own"), from ἴδιος (*ídios*, "one's own, personal, peculiar"), first attested in English in the 1580s. Unlike a simple "phrase," which is a neutral grouping of words, or a "proverb," which is a self-contained sentence of explicit wisdom, an idiom is a sealed cultural unit where the sum is a mystery of its parts. It is the logic of "kicking the bucket," the impossible geography of "spilling the beans," or the coded shorthand of "en el quinto pino"—each a small, inherited secret that, once decoded, unlocks not just a meaning but a whole way of seeing, a private joke shared by millions and stitched from the lived breath of a community.
Etymology
From Middle French idiome, and its source, Late Latin idioma, from Ancient Greek ἰδίωμα (idíōma, “a peculiarity, property, a peculiar phraseology, idiom”), from ἰδιοῦσθαι (idioûsthai, “to make one's own, appropriate to oneself”), from ἴδιος (ídios, “one's own, pertaining to oneself, private, personal, peculiar, separate”). By surface analysis, idi- + -om.
noun
- A manner of speaking, a mode of expression peculiar to a language, language family, or group of people.e.g.“In English, idiom requires the indefinite article in a phrase such as "she's an engineer", whereas in Spanish, idiom forbids it.”
- A manner of speaking, a mode of expression peculiar to a language, language family, or group of people.; A programming construct or phraseology that is characteristic of the language.e.g.“I have to use the same assignment and call to raw_input in two places. How can I avoid that? I can use the while True/break idiom: […]”
- A language or language variety; specifically, a restricted dialect used in a given historical period, context, etc.e.g.“In the idiom of the day, they were sutlers, although today they'd probably be called vendors.”
- An established phrasal expression whose meaning may not be deducible from the literal meanings of its component words.e.g.“She often spoke in idioms, pining for salad days and complaining about pots calling the kettle black.”
- An artistic style (for example, in art, architecture, or music); an instance of such a style.e.g.“the idiom of the expressionists”
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- locution 88% match — A phrase or expression peculiar to or characteristic of a given person or group of people. vs idiom →
- idiosyncratic 86% match — Peculiar to a specific individual; eccentric. vs idiom →
- idiosyncrasy 85% match — A behavior or way of thinking that is characteristic of a person or a group. vs idiom →
- periphrase 85% match — The use of more words than are necessary to express the idea; a roundabout, or indirect, way of speaking; circumlocution. vs idiom →
- idiolect 84% match — The language variant used by a specific individual. vs idiom →
- metaphor 84% match — The use of a word, phrase, concept, or set of concepts to refer to something other than its literal meaning, invoking an implicit similarity between the thing described and what is denoted by the word, etc., that is used. vs idiom →
- adage 84% match — An old saying which has obtained credit by long use. vs idiom →
- meaning 84% match — The denotation, referent, or idea connected with a word, expression, or symbol. vs idiom →