Acrolect

//ˈæk.ɹə.lɛkt// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The variety of speech that is considered most suitable for formal occasions (typically using only standard forms).

    "In one dimension change is directed toward the acrolect, the “typical” change in the creole continuum."

Example

More examples

"In one dimension change is directed toward the acrolect, the “typical” change in the creole continuum."

Etymology

From acro- (“tip; peak”) + -lect, coined by William Alexander Stewart in 1965.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.