lingo
UK[ˈlɪŋɡəʊ]US[ˈlɪŋɡoʊ]
n
The special vocabulary or language used by a particular group of people, especially one that is difficult for others to understand.
Etymology
The word 'lingo' is a direct borrowing from the Portuguese 'lingoa', itself a descendant of Latin 'lingua', meaning 'tongue' and, by extension, 'language' or 'speech'. Its journey into English in the mid-17th century was likely through sailors and traders who encountered it in the context of pidgin or trade languages. The term originally carried a slightly exotic or foreign connotation, which evolved into its modern sense of specialized or obscure jargon. Thus, a word with a classical root for 'tongue' came to signify the peculiar 'tongue' or speech of a specific, often closed, community.
Analysis
This word is a simplex loanword. It is derived from the Latin word 'lingua', meaning 'tongue' or 'language'. It entered English via the Portuguese phrase 'lingoa geral' (general language), referring to a simplified trade language.
Examples
The manual was full of technical lingo that was impossible for a beginner to understand.
You'll have to learn the local lingo if you want to fit in with the programmers.
He quickly picked up the lingo of the financial traders.