Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Any of several pidgins based on English and now spoken mostly on the Pacific islands and in West Africa.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun An artificial dialect or jargon of corrupted English, with a few Chinese, Portuguese, and Malay words, arranged according to the Chinese idiom, used by Chinese and foreigners for colloquial convenience in their business transactions and other dealings in the treaty ports of China and elsewhere in the China seas; the lingua franca of the ports of China and the Far East.
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
[Alteration of pigeon English, from Pidgin English pigeon, business, perhaps from a Chinese pronunciation of English business.]
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word Pidgin English.
Examples
Sorry, no example sentences found.
Comments
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.