idiomatic adj : of or relating to or conforming to idiom; "idiomatic English" [syn: idiomatical]

Idiomatic \Id`i*o*mat"ic\, Idiomatical \Id`i*o*mat"ic*al\, a. [Gr. ?.] Of or pertaining to, or conforming to, the mode of expression peculiar to a language; as, an idiomatic meaning; an idiomatic phrase. -- Id`i*o*mat"ic*al*ly, adv.

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Idiom (Latin: idioma, “special property”, f. Greek: ἰδίωμα — idiōma, “special feature, special phrasing”, f. Greek: ἴδιος — idios, “one’s own”) is an expression, word, or phrase that has a figurative meaning that is comprehended in regard to a common use of that expression that is separate from the literal meaning or definition of the words of which it is made.

In linguistics, idioms are usually presumed to be figures of speech contradicting the principle of compositionality; yet the matter remains debated. John Saeed defines an “idiom” as words collocated that became affixed to each other until metamorphosing into a fossilised term. Idioms usually do not translate well; in some cases, when an idiom is translated into another language, either its meaning is changed or it is meaningless.

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