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Pat·wa also Pat·ois

(pätwä′, pă-twä)

Any of several creoles based on English or French spoken in the Caribbean and by communities of Caribbean origin outside the region, especially the English-based creole of Jamaica.

[Patwa Patwa, from English PATOIS, and French patois, patois; see PATOIS.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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