[ˈpatwɑː], (Noun)

Definitions:
- the dialect of a particular region, especially one with low status in relation to the standard language of the country
(e.g: the nurse talked to me in a patois that even Italians would have had difficulty in understanding)


Phrases:

Origin:
mid 17th century: French, literally ‘rough speech’, perhaps from Old French patoier ‘treat roughly’, from patte ‘paw’