Meanings
nounkiller language (plural killer languages)
plural killer languages
- human sciencesA dominant and prestigious language which gradually causes extinction of other, especially minor languages.
It is only when the state adopts a trade language as official and, in a fit of linguistic nationalism, foists it upon its citizens, that trade languages become "killer languages."
2012, Danny Hieber, Mises Daily, Why Do Languages Die?
Origin
The phrase was first used by Anne Pakir in 1991 in reference to English.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
killer language. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/killer%20language
MLA
“killer language.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/killer%20language. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “killer language,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/killer%20language.
Source: killer language on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.