a form of a language, spoken by people in a particular area, that is different from the standard language of the country 方言;土语;土话 She began shouting at him in a patois he could not understand. 她开始用他听不懂的方言对他大喊大叫。 They were speaking in French patois. 他们用法语说方言。
Word Originmid 17th cent.: French, literally ‘rough speech’, perhaps from Old French patoier ‘treat roughly’, from patte ‘paw’.