bilingual

[ bahy-ling-gwuhlor, Canadian, -ling-gyoo-uhl ]

adjective

1. able to speak two languages with the facility of a native speaker.
2. spoken, written, or containing similar information in two different languages:

   a bilingual dictionary; Public notices at the embassy are bilingual.

3. of, involving, or using two languages:

   a bilingual community; bilingual schools.

noun

1. a bilingual person.

bilingual

/ baɪˈlɪŋɡwəl /

adjective

1. able to speak two languages, esp with fluency
2. written or expressed in two languages

noun

1. a bilingual person

Derived Forms

• biˈlingually, adverb
• biˈlingualˌism, noun

Other Words From

• bi·lingual·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of bilingual¹

1835–45; < Latin bilingu ( is ) ( bi- bi- ¹ + lingu-, stem of lingua tongue + -is adj. suffix) + -al ¹

Example Sentences

For example, children who grew up in a bilingual household may be able to pay attention to and process more of the world around them, allowing them to notice changes in their environment more quickly.

From Popular-Science

Netflix, whose first exclusive offering, in 2012, was the bilingual Norwegian import Lilyhammer, is currently available in more than 190 countries.

From Time

The clerk, who is bilingual, also reads the comments written in Spanish.

From Voice of San Diego

La Prensa, a bilingual newspaper, reported last month on the Urban Area Working Group’s existence, estimating that it had divvied up hundreds of millions of dollars since its formation in 2008.

From Voice of San Diego

We are bilingual, so there aren’t any language barriers to learning or curiosity.

From Eater

The scenes in Tokyo were filmed with the help of a bilingual Japanese crew.

From The Daily Beast

She could hardly speak English, but she made up bilingual jokes.

From The Daily Beast

Almost to a person, the French who are bilingual credit English-language television with their success.

From The Daily Beast

Access to new information—literary or political—is one advantage of becoming functionally bilingual, but it is not the main one.

From The Daily Beast

And this is the best reason for a writer to become bilingual: to discover what English can do that no other language on earth can.

From The Daily Beast

In the bilingual legend of the Creation, Nippur seems to be regarded as a very old city.

From Project Gutenberg

The invasion of Bohemian workmen has virtually rendered bilingual every such Germanized district where industrialism flourishes.

From Project Gutenberg

One of the first acts of the new count was to secure Artois, thus reconstituting the bilingual Flanders of the previous century.

From Project Gutenberg

Greek was the language of the government and of trade, and in a measure the Jews were a bilingual people.

From Project Gutenberg

It may be assumed that, at the end of the eleventh century, the majority of the aristocracy was bilingual.

From Project Gutenberg

More About Bilingual

What does bilingual mean?

Bilingual is most commonly used to describe someone who can speak or understand two languages, especially with some level of fluency.

It can also be used to describe things that involve or that are written or spoken in two languages, as in These instructions are bilingual—they’re written in English and Spanish.

The similar terms trilingual and multilingual are used in the same way, with trilingual indicating three languages and multilingual indicating more than two and especially several languages.

The ability to speak two languages or the use of two languages is called bilingualism.

Example: Being bilingual is a great advantage for many job seekers.

Where does bilingual come from?

The first records of the word bilingual come from the 1830s. It’s composed of bi-, meaning “two,” and lingual, which means “pertaining to languages.” Lingual shares a root with other language-related words, like linguistics and linguaphile.

Some people who are bilingual may be masters of both of the languages they speak. But a person might be described—or describe themselves—as bilingual even if they’re not fluent in the second language. Some people may be bilingual when they learn a language in addition to their native language, but some people may be bilingual due to having two native languages.

Countries are often described as bilingual when they have two official or widely used languages. Canada is often called a bilingual country since both English and French are widely spoken in certain places, though of course many other languages are spoken there, including many different Indigenous languages.

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to bilingual?

• bilingually (adverb)
• bilingualism (noun)

What are some synonyms for bilingual?

• multilingual

What are some words that share a root or word element with bilingual?

• trilingual
• monolingual

What are some words that often get used in discussing bilingual?

• two
• language
• speaker
• speak
• communication
• writing

How is bilingual used in real life?

Bilingual is most commonly used to describe people who speak two languages, but it’s also commonly used to describe other things written in or involving two languages.  

“I want my kids to be proud of our roots and see it as an asset. It’s not only the cultural pride — it’s a life skill, it’s a job skill. When you’re bilingual, there are so many more opportunities.”https://t.co/ylNFSyPjKc

— ACTFL (@actfl) October 19, 2019

How beautiful are bilingual books? pic.twitter.com/idgLDAJgmj

— Thomas Mayor: @tommayor11 (@IndigenousX) June 25, 2020

Diolch / thanks @ClwydTweets . Great to see a proper bilingual menu (arguably trilingual in this case). & blasus iawn – tasty. pic.twitter.com/bbWNBJxY4D

— Craig Allman 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🇪🇺 (@tyhebenw) January 5, 2019

Try using bilingual!

Is bilingual used correctly in the following sentence?

“In some places, the street signs are bilingual since there are two widely spoken languages.”