What does the word "idiom" mean?

14391

According to the Encarta Dictionary the word "idiom" has several meanings. 1.)a fixed, distinctive, and often colourful expression whose meaning cannot be understood from the combined meanings of its individual words, for example, ‘to have somebody in stitches’ 2.)the way of using a particular language that comes naturally to its native speakers and involves both knowledge of its grammar and familiarity with its usage Hope this helps! Jun 26 07, 8:58 PM

lilacmay4

Hello, 14391 - This helped me well. Thank you for explaining to me what the word "idiom" means. Jun 26 07, 9:25 PM

thegogga

Here is a very good definition I found on the web: "An idiom is an expression whose meaning is not compositional—that is, whose meaning does not follow from the meaning of the individual words of which it is composed. For example, the English phrase to kick the bucket means to die. A listener knowing the meaning of kick and bucket will not thereby be able to predict that the expression can mean to die. Idioms are often, though perhaps not universally, classified as figures of speech." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idiom Jun 27 07, 4:20 AM

Baloo55th

Basically, an idiom cannot be translated into another language as it stands - if you want it to retain its meaning. As a result, you have to be very careful when using online translators. Jun 27 07, 3:09 PM