Meanings
argot1
plural argots
- The specialized informal vocabulary and terminology used between people with special skill in a field, such as between doctors, mathematicians or hackers.
The conversation was in the argot of the trade, full of acronyms and abbreviations that made no sense to the uninitiate.
Synonyms: jargon
- A strongly marked style of speaking.
Merle spoke in the thin nasal argot of this city's slums: "This the fus toim yez been lobbed, oy, kiddow?"
1961, Xavier Herbert, Soldiers' Women, Netley, SA: Fontana Books, published 1978, page 232
Argot2
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA secret language or conventional slang peculiar to thieves, tramps and vagabonds.
nounThe specialized informal vocabulary and terminology used between people with special skill in a field, such as between doctors, mathematicians or hackers.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves)
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Frenchargot
- Englishargot
Borrowed from French argot, of unknown origin.
More words from French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian арго, жаргон
- арго (argo)secret language of thieves, tramps and vagabonds
- жаргон (žargon)secret language of thieves, tramps and vagabonds
- арго (argo)specialized vocabulary and terminology of a field
- жаргон (žargon)specialized vocabulary and terminology of a field
Catalan argot
- argotspecialized vocabulary and terminology of a field
Chinese Mandarin 黑話 /黑话, 切口
- 黑話 /黑话 (hēihuà)secret language of thieves, tramps and vagabonds
- 切口 (qièkǒu)secret language of thieves, tramps and vagabonds
- 隱語 /隐语 (yǐnyǔ)secret language of thieves, tramps and vagabonds
- 行話 /行话 (hánghuà)specialized vocabulary and terminology of a field
- 俚語 /俚语 (lǐyǔ)specialized vocabulary and terminology of a field
Czech argot
- argotsecret language of thieves, tramps and vagabonds
Finnish salakieli, slangi
- salakielisecret language of thieves, tramps and vagabonds
- slangispecialized vocabulary and terminology of a field
- ammattislangispecialized vocabulary and terminology of a field
- ammattikielispecialized vocabulary and terminology of a field
French argot
- argotsecret language of thieves, tramps and vagabonds
German Argot, Rotwelsch
- Argotsecret language of thieves, tramps and vagabonds
- Rotwelschsecret language of thieves, tramps and vagabonds
Greek αργκό, αργοτική
- αργκό (argkó)secret language of thieves, tramps and vagabonds
- αργοτική (argotikí)secret language of thieves, tramps and vagabonds
- κοινωνιόλεκτος (koinoniólektos)secret language of thieves, tramps and vagabonds
- ιδιογλωσσία (idioglossía)specialized vocabulary and terminology of a field
- ιδιόλεκτο (idiólekto)specialized vocabulary and terminology of a field
Hungarian argó, argó
- argósecret language of thieves, tramps and vagabonds
- argóspecialized vocabulary and terminology of a field
- terminológiaspecialized vocabulary and terminology of a field
Italian gergo, gergo
- gergosecret language of thieves, tramps and vagabonds
- gergospecialized vocabulary and terminology of a field
- parlataspecialized vocabulary and terminology of a field
- idiolettospecialized vocabulary and terminology of a field
Korean 은어, 변말
- 은어 (euneo)secret language of thieves, tramps and vagabonds
- 변말 (byeonmal)secret language of thieves, tramps and vagabonds
- 수어 (sueo)secret language of thieves, tramps and vagabonds
- 전문어 (jeonmuneo)specialized vocabulary and terminology of a field
- 전용어 (jeonyong'eo)specialized vocabulary and terminology of a field
Persian لوتر, لوترا
- لوتر (lutar)secret language of thieves, tramps and vagabonds
- لوترا (lutrâ)secret language of thieves, tramps and vagabonds
Polish argot, argot
- argotsecret language of thieves, tramps and vagabonds
- argotspecialized vocabulary and terminology of a field
Portuguese calão, argot
- calãosecret language of thieves, tramps and vagabonds
- argotsecret language of thieves, tramps and vagabonds
- jargãospecialized vocabulary and terminology of a field
- argotspecialized vocabulary and terminology of a field
Russian фе́ня, сленг
- фе́ня (fénja)secret language of thieves, tramps and vagabonds
- сленг (sleng)secret language of thieves, tramps and vagabonds
- жарго́н (žargón)secret language of thieves, tramps and vagabonds
- арго́ (argó)secret language of thieves, tramps and vagabonds
- жарго́н (žargón)specialized vocabulary and terminology of a field
Slovak argot
- argotsecret language of thieves, tramps and vagabonds
Spanish argot, germanía
- argotsecret language of thieves, tramps and vagabonds
- germaníasecret language of thieves, tramps and vagabonds
- argotspecialized vocabulary and terminology of a field
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
argot. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/argot
“argot.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/argot. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “argot,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/argot.
Source: argot on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.