idiom
/ˈɪdiəm/IH-dee-uhm
/ˈɪdiəm/IH-dee-uhm
Meaningone's own way (of speaking)
Common meaning: a phrase with a meaning not clear from its words
- idiopersonal, peculiar to oneselfLiddell & Scott, Greek-English Lexicon (1883), p. 693 · scan
- mGreek noun ending (-ma) cut short
Journey through time
- Greekἴδιος‘personal, peculiar to oneself’
- Latinidioma
- Frenchidiome
- Englishidiom‘a phrase with a meaning not clear from its words’ · today
idio also in: idiot
Sources & notes
Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
- No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
- US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
- No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.
Origin: Built on Greek ἴδιος ‘personal, peculiar to oneself’.
Did you know: our wording, based on Liddell & Scott, Greek-English Lexicon (1883), entry ἴδιος, p. 693 · dictionary scan
Roots
- ἴδιος Greek “personal, peculiar to oneself”
Related words
Building blocks are an automatic split · open in app