jargon

Where does the word "jargon" come from? It comes from Latin garrire, passing through Old French before entering English (1650s).

Jargon’s story begins in Latin: garrire meant “to chatter, prattle.” An echoic root imitating chattering sounds. By 1100s, the word had taken hold in Old French as jargon. Applied first to the twittering of birds, then to unintelligible human talk. It reached English by 1650s as jargon. Narrowed to the specialized, hard-to-follow vocabulary of a trade or group. Today, jargon means specialized language used by a particular group or profession.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient garrire "to chatter, prattle", an echoic root imitating chattering sounds.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · 1100s jargon "a chattering; unintelligible speech", applied first to the twittering of birds, then to unintelligible human talk.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1650s jargon "phraseology peculiar to a sect or profession", narrowed to the specialized, hard-to-follow vocabulary of a trade or group.