idiom

CEFRB1

/ˈɪdiəm/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A phrase whose meaning differs from its separate words.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A language or language variety; specifically, a restricted dialect used in a given historical period, context, etc.

Examples

  • I foolishly interpreted the idiom according to its literal sense.

  • "Time is gold" a true idiom.

At a glance

Sits at B1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
3
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • [ˈɪdɪəm]
  • [ˈɪɾiəm]

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. A manner of speaking, a mode of expression peculiar to a language, language family, or group of people.

  2. A programming construct or phraseology that is characteristic of the language.

  3. An established phrasal expression whose meaning may not be deducible from the literal meanings of its component words.

More examples

In context

  • In English, idiom requires the indefinite article in a phrase such as "she's an engineer", whereas in Spanish, idiom forbids it.

  • In the idiom of the day, they were sutlers, although today they'd probably be called vendors.

  • Some of the usage prescriptions improved clarity and were kept; others that yielded discordant violations of idiom were eventually revised.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The teacher explained that 'break a leg' is an blank meaning good luck.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

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.