Lect definition

lĕkt
A social or regional variety of speech having a sociolinguistic or functional identity within a speech community.
noun
9
1
Lecturer.
abbreviation
4
1
Lecture.
abbreviation
3
1
A variety within a language.
affix
2
2
(linguistics, sociolinguistics) A specific form of a language or language cluster: a language or a dialect. The term is used when it is not possible or preferable to decide whether something is a distinct language or only a dialect of a language.
noun
0
0
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Other Word Forms

Noun

Singular:
lect
Plural:
lects

Origin of lect

  • From Webster's New World College Dictionary, 5th Edition

  • From (dia)lect

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • Use as an independent noun of the suffix -lect.

    From Wiktionary