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patois definition

pa·tois (pa′twä′; Fr pȧ twȧ′)

noun pl. patois -·tois′ (-twäz′; Fr, -twȧ′)

  1. a form of a language differing generally from the accepted standard, as a provincial or local dialect
  2. jargon (sense )

Etymology: Fr < OFr, uncultivated speech, akin to patoier, to shake paws, behave crudely < pate, paw, akin to Frank *pauta > paw

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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