Vernacular, a.
Etymology: [L. vernaculus born in one's house, native, fr. verna a slave born in his master's house, a native, probably akin to Skr. vas to dwell, E. was.]
Belonging to the country of one's birth; one's own by birth or nature; native; indigenous; -- now used chiefly of language; as, English is our vernacular language. "A vernacular disease." Harvey. His skill the vernacular dialect of the Celtic tongue. Fuller. Which in our vernacular idiom may be thus interpreted. Pope.
1 other Webster entry under this spelling
Vernacular, n.
The vernacular language; one's mother tongue; often, the common forms of expression in a particular locality.
Shades of meaning
Fernald has no entry of its own for vernacular; he lists it under language.
Where he writes about it:
Vernacular, from the Latin, has the same general sense as the Saxon mother tongue, of one's native language, or that of a people; as, the Scriptures were translated into the vernacular. — from language
Antonyms
none given