A colloquialism is a word that is not used in formal speech, writing or paralinguistics. Colloquialisms are also sometimes referred to collectively as "colloquial language". Colloquialisms or "colloquial language" is considered to be characteristic of or only appropriate for casual, ordinary, familiar, or informal conversation rather than formal speech or writing. Dictionaries often mark colloquial words and phrases with the abbreviation "colloq." as an identifier.