Meanings
nounpidgin English (countable and uncountable, plural pidgin Englishes)
plural pidgin Englishes
- countableuncountableoriginallyThe Chinese pidgin English spoken in Canton and Hong Kong, later spreading throughout the Chinese and Southeast Asian coastal region.
- countableuncountableAny English-lexifier pidgin.
They’ve picked up pidgin-English from the few old regulars I keep about the place and speak it much better than the old hands themselves.
1937, Ion L. Idriess, Over the Range, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, published 1947, page 209 - broadlycountableuncountableAny very basic English; broken English.
Synonyms & antonyms
Also see
Cite this entry
APA
pidgin English. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pidgin%20English
MLA
“pidgin English.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pidgin%20English. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pidgin English,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pidgin%20English.
Source: pidgin English on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.