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Dialect

3 stages from Greek to English.

Today it means a regional form of a language

Where does the word "dialect" come from? It comes from Greek dialektos, passing through French before entering English (1570s).

dialektos→dialecte→dialect

Greek · ancient

"discourse, way of speaking"

Greek, from 'dialegesthai', to converse

French · 1500s

came via Latin 'dialectus'

English · 1570s

"way of speaking"

Greek had its own dialects: Attic, Ionic, Doric

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Read the full story

Dialect’s story begins in Greek: dialektos meant “discourse, way of speaking.” Greek, from 'dialegesthai', to converse. By 1500s, the word had taken hold in French as dialecte. Came via Latin 'dialectus'. It reached English by 1570s as dialect. Greek had its own dialects: Attic, Ionic, Doric. Today, dialect means a regional form of a language.