Library / English Dictionary

CREOLE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

A mother tongue that originates from contact between two languages

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Hypernyms ("creole" is a kind of...):

natural language; tongue (a human written or spoken language used by a community; opposed to e.g. a computer language)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "creole"):

Haitian Creole (a creole language spoken by most Haitians; based on French and various African languages)

Derivation:

creolize (develop into a creole)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A person descended from French ancestors in southern United States (especially Louisiana)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("Creole" is a kind of...):

American (a native or inhabitant of the United States)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A person of European descent born in the West Indies or Latin America

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("Creole" is a kind of...):

American (a native or inhabitant of a North American or Central American or South American country)

 II. (adjective) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Of or relating to or characteristic of native-born persons of French descent in Louisiana

Example:

Creole cooking

Classified under:

Relational adjectives (pertainyms)

Pertainym:

Creole (a person descended from French ancestors in southern United States (especially Louisiana))

Sense 2

Meaning:

Of or relating to a language that arises from contact between two other languages and has features of both

Example:

Creole grammars

Classified under:

Relational adjectives (pertainyms)

Pertainym:

creole (a mother tongue that originates from contact between two languages)

Credits