vernacular

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ver·nac·u·lar / vərˈnakyələr/ • n. 1. (usu. the vernacular) the language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country or region: he wrote in the vernacular to reach a larger audience. ∎  the terminology used by people belonging to a specified group or engaging in a specialized activity: gardening vernacular. 2. architecture concerned with domestic and functional rather than monumental buildings: buildings in which Gothic merged into farmhouse vernacular.• adj. 1. (of language) spoken as one's mother tongue; not learned or imposed as a second language. ∎  (of speech or written works) using such a language: vernacular literature. 2. (of architecture) concerned with domestic and functional rather than monumental buildings.DERIVATIVES: ver·nac·u·lar·ism / -ˌrizəm/ n.ver·nac·u·lar·i·ty / -ˌnakyəˈlaritē/ n.ver·nac·u·lar·ize / -ˌrīz/ v.ver·nac·u·lar·ly adv.

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