dog Latin en · PROPN
Etymology
The term Dog Latin dates back to at least the 17th century and is thought to derive from the notion of doggerel, a word meaning rough, irregular, or trivial verse. Chambers (1908) suggests that the word reflects the idea of a clumsy, bastardized form of Latin, as if produced by dogs rather than by scholars. The adjective dog in this sense was historically used to indicate something inferior or absurd, paralleling its use in expressions like dog's breakfast or doggerel. The term thus conveys the idea of a humorous or intentionally incorrect imitation of classical Latin.
Meanings
-
A phrase or jargon that imitates Latin, often by translating English words (or those of other languages) into Latin by conjugating or declining them.
Now that walking plants were established facts, the press lost its former tepidity and bathed them in publicity. So a name had to be found for them. Already there were botanists wallowing, after their custom, in polysyllabic dog-Latin and Greek to produce variants on ambulans and pseudopodia, but what the newspapers and the public wanted was something easy on the tongue and not too heavy on the headlines for general use.
1951, John Wyndham, The Day of the Triffids, Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, published 1954, page 41:
- Poor-quality or erroneous Latin.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dog Latin | alternative | lexicographic |
Relateds
mock Latin · pseudo-Latinism · law Latin · pig Latin · bog Latin
Synonyms
hog Latin · macaronic Latin · cod Latin · Canis Latinicus
Translations (12)
it latino maccheronico (bad, erroneous Latin) · es latín macarrónico (bad, erroneous Latin) · fr latin macaronique (bad, erroneous Latin) · ga Laidin bhacach (bad, erroneous Latin) · de Küchenlatein (bad, erroneous Latin) · nl potjeslatijn (bad, erroneous Latin) · eo latinaĉo (bad, erroneous Latin) · es latinajo (bad, erroneous Latin) · af kombuislatyn (bad, erroneous Latin) · sv kökslatin (bad, erroneous Latin) · fr latin de cuisine (bad, erroneous Latin) · pl łacina kuchenna (bad, erroneous Latin)