Definitions for LANGUAGEˈlæŋ gwɪdʒ

Random House Webster's College Dictionary

lan•guage^*ˈlæŋ gwɪdʒ(n.)

a body of words and the systems for their use common to a people of the same community or nation, the same geographical area, or the same cultural tradition:
the French language.
Category: Language/Linguistics
communication using a system of arbitrary vocal sounds, written symbols, signs, or gestures in conventional ways with conventional meanings: the ability to communicate in this way.
spoken language; sign language.
Category: Language/Linguistics
the system of linguistic signs or symbols considered in the abstract.
Category: Language/Linguistics
any set or system of formalized symbols, signs, sounds, or gestures used or conceived as a means of communicating:
the language of mathematics.
Category: Language/Linguistics
the means of communication used by animals:
the language of birds.
Category: Language/Linguistics, Zoology
communication of thought, feeling, etc., through a nonverbal medium:
body language; the language of flowers.
Category: Common Vocabulary
the study of language; linguistics.
Category: Language/Linguistics
the vocabulary or phraseology used by a particular group, profession, etc.
Category: Language/Linguistics
a particular manner of verbal expression:
flowery language.
Category: Language/Linguistics
choice of words or style of writing; diction:
the language of poetry.
Category: Language/Linguistics
a set of symbols and syntactic rules for their combination and use, by means of which a computer can be given directions.
Category: Computers
Archaic. faculty or power of speech.
Category: Language/Linguistics

^* Syn: language, dialect, jargon, vernacular refer to patterns of vocabulary, syntax, and usage characteristic of communities of various sizes and types. language is applied to the general pattern of a people or nation: the English language.dialect is applied to regionally or socially distinct forms or varieties of a language, often forms used by provincial communities that differ from the standard variety: the Scottish dialect.jargon is applied to the specialized language, esp. the vocabulary, used by a particular (usu. occupational) group within a community or to language considered unintelligible or obscure: technical jargon. The vernacular is the natural, everyday pattern of speech, usu. on an informal level, used by people indigenous to a community.

Origin of language:

1250–1300; ME < AF, var. of langage, OF =langue tongue, language (< L lingua ) + -age -age

Princeton's WordNet

language, linguistic communication(noun)
a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols
"he taught foreign languages"; "the language introduced is standard throughout the text"; "the speed with which a program can be executed depends on the language in which it is written"
speech, speech communication, spoken communication, spoken language, language, voice communication, oral communication(noun)
(language) communication by word of mouth
"his speech was garbled"; "he uttered harsh language"; "he recorded the spoken language of the streets"
lyric, words, language(noun)
the text of a popular song or musical-comedy number
"his compositions always started with the lyrics"; "he wrote both words and music"; "the song uses colloquial language"
linguistic process, language(noun)
the cognitive processes involved in producing and understanding linguistic communication
"he didn't have the language to express his feelings"
language, speech(noun)
the mental faculty or power of vocal communication
"language sets homo sapiens apart from all other animals"
terminology, nomenclature, language(noun)
a system of words used to name things in a particular discipline
"legal terminology"; "biological nomenclature"; "the language of sociology"

Kernerman English Learner's Dictionary

language(noun)ˈlæŋ gwɪdʒ
communication using words
Humans have the ability to use language.; slow language development
languageˈlæŋ gwɪdʒ
one of the many ways of talking that exist in different countries around the world
the English language; How many languages do you speak?; an official language
languageˈlæŋ gwɪdʒ
a form of communication used in a particular field
the language of mathematics

Wiktionary

language(Noun)
A form of communication using words either spoken or gestured with the hands and structured with grammar, often with a writing system.
language(Noun)
The ability to communicate using words.
the gift of language
language(Noun)
Nonverbal communication.
body language
language(Noun)
A computer language.
language(Noun)
The vocabulary and usage used in a particular specialist field.
legal language
language(Noun)
The particular words used in speech or a passage of text.
language(Noun)
Profanity.
language(Noun)
Words, written or spoken, in a specific sequence that a person uses to describe, to a another person, the type of thoughts in their mind.
language(Verb)
To communicate by language; to express in language.
Others were languaged in such doubtful expressions that they have a double sense. uE0004411uE001 Fuller.

Webster Dictionary

Language(noun)
any means of conveying or communicating ideas; specifically, human speech; the expression of ideas by the voice; sounds, expressive of thought, articulated by the organs of the throat and mouth
Language(noun)
the expression of ideas by writing, or any other instrumentality
Language(noun)
the forms of speech, or the methods of expressing ideas, peculiar to a particular nation
Language(noun)
the characteristic mode of arranging words, peculiar to an individual speaker or writer; manner of expression; style
Language(noun)
the inarticulate sounds by which animals inferior to man express their feelings or their wants
Language(noun)
the suggestion, by objects, actions, or conditions, of ideas associated therewith; as, the language of flowers
Language(noun)
the vocabulary and phraseology belonging to an art or department of knowledge; as, medical language; the language of chemistry or theology
Language(noun)
a race, as distinguished by its speech
Language(verb)
to communicate by language; to express in language