Meaning

11 senses
  1. (countable)A body of words, and set of methods of combining them (called a grammar), understood by a community and used as a form of communication.

    The English and German languages are both members of the West Germanic language family.

    Deaf and mute people communicate using sign language.

    Sprache, Einzelsprache, Språch

    язы́кjazýk, речьrečʹ

    мо́ваmóva

  2. (uncountable)The ability to communicate using words.

    the gift of language

    Sprache

    язы́кjazýk, речьrečʹ

  3. (uncountable)A sublanguage: the slang of a particular community or jargon of a particular specialist field.

    legal language; the language of chemistry

    Sprache, Jargon

    язы́кjazýk, лексико́нleksikón

  4. (uncountable)The specific wording or style of a text, such as a law or a contract.

  5. (countable, figuratively, uncountable)The expression of thought (the communication of meaning) in a specified way; that which communicates something, as language does.

    body language; the language of the eyes

    Sprache

    язы́кjazýk, пи́сьменная речьpísʹmennaja rečʹ

    мо́ваmóva

    (language) communication by word of mouth

  6. (countable, uncountable)A body of sounds, signs or signals by which animals communicate, and by which plants are sometimes also thought to communicate.

  7. (countable)A computer language; a machine language.

    Sprache, Sprachen

    язы́к программи́рованияjazýk programmírovanija

    мо́ваmóva

  8. (uncountable)A manner of expression.

  9. (uncountable)The particular words used in a speech or a passage of text.

    The language used in the law does not permit any other interpretation.

    The language he used to talk to me was obscene.

    Sprache

    язы́кjazýk

    a system of words used to name things in a particular discipline

  10. (euphemistic, uncountable)Profanity.

  11. A languet, a flat plate in or below the flue pipe of an organ.

Examples

7259 sentences
  1. Learning a foreign language is difficult.

    Важко вивчити іноземну мову.

    ruУчить иностранный язык трудно.

    deEine Fremdsprache zu lernen, ist schwierig.

    CC BY · Tatoeba · CK · A1Open on TatoebaReport a problem
  2. Are you interested in foreign languages?

    Ви цікавитеся іноземними мовами?

    ruВы интересуетесь иностранными языками?

    deInteressierst du dich für Fremdsprachen?

    CC BY · Tatoeba · CK · A1Open on TatoebaReport a problem
  3. How many languages can you speak?

    Скількома мовами ти розмовляєш?

    ruНа скольких языках ты говоришь?

    deWie viele Sprachen kannst du?

    CC BY · Tatoeba · CK · A1Open on TatoebaReport a problem
  4. English is not my native language.

    Англійська - не рідна мені мова.

    ruАнглийский — не родной мне язык.

    deEnglisch ist nicht meine Muttersprache.

    CC BY · Tatoeba · CK · A2Open on TatoebaReport a problem
  5. How many languages do you speak?

    Скількома мовами ти розмовляєш?

    ruНа скольких языках ты говоришь?

    deWie viele Sprachen sprichst du?

    CC BY · Tatoeba · CK · A1Open on TatoebaReport a problem

Translations

9 languages
Українська
By meaning 1
body of words used as a form of communication:
Русский
By meaning 4
body of words used as a form of communication:
vocabulary of a particular field:
nonverbal communication:
computer language — see also computer language:
Deutsch
By meaning 3
body of words used as a form of communication:
vocabulary of a particular field:
computer language — see also computer language:

Origin

From Middle English langage, language, from Old French language, from Vulgar Latin *linguā

From Middle English langage, language, from Old French language, from Vulgar Latin *linguāticum, from Latin lingua (“tongue, speech, language”), from Old Latin dingua (“tongue”), from Proto-Indo-European *dn̥ǵʰwéh₂s (“tongue, speech, language”). Doublet of langaj. Displaced native Old English ġeþēode.

Alteration of languet.

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Forms

plural: languages
Singularlanguage
Plurallanguages

regular

Synonyms

21 synonyms
vocabulary of a particular field:jargonC2
particular words used:wording
Close in meaning

Word family

169 related words

Collocations

12 patterns
  • foreign language
  • a foreign language
  • only foreign language
  • native language
  • speak three languages
  • the only language
  • foreign language is
  • how many languages
  • a difficult language
  • three languages
  • foreign language that
  • what language do

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
language — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto