noun
jargon
JAH-guhn
noun
1
Specialized vocabulary used by people in a particular profession or field, often hard for outsiders to follow.
"The contract was full of legal jargon that confused the client."
"New employees struggled with all the technical jargon in the manual."
How to Use Jargon
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishInsider language or technical terms specific to a group, which can sound like gibberish to anyone outside it.
When to use it
Often used disapprovingly, implying language is needlessly complex or exclusionary.
Common pairings
technical jargon
legal jargon
industry jargon
cut the jargon
Word Forms
jargoned past tense, jargons plural, jargons singular
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The contract was full of legal _____ that confused the client.
Etymology
From Old French jargon, originally meaning idle chatter or the twittering of birds, before narrowing to mean specialist or insider language.