multilingual

[ muhl-tee-ling-gwuhl, muhl-tahy-or, Canadian, -ling-gyoo-uhl ]

adjective

1. using or able to speak several or many languages with some facility.
2. spoken or written in several or many languages:

   a multilingual broadcast.

3. dealing with or involving several or many languages:

   a multilingual dictionary of business terms.

noun

1. a multilingual person.

multilingual

/ ˌmʌltɪˈlɪŋɡwəl /

adjective

1. able to speak more than two languages
2. See monolingual, bilingual
   written or expressed in more than two languages Compare bilingual monolingual

Other Words From

• multi·lingual·ly adverb
• multi·lingual·ism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of multilingual¹

First recorded in 1830–40; multi- + lingual

Example Sentences

The multilingual web emerged within two years of the birth of the standards in 1994 that created the web as we know it.

From Fortune

Second, social media and messaging are inherently multilingual.

From Fortune

At the same time, other strategies, often shared through multilingual PSAs on local radio, may be more effective for people in these communities, who often don’t use smartphones for anything more than texting, according to Munoz.

From MIT Technology Review

San Francisco-based Wikimedia is a nonprofit focused on providing free, multilingual content.

From Quartz

I explained that the multilingual CEO had probably meant to say “results oriented” and we argued about this, good natured but not without passion for a good 20 minutes.

From Ozy

Rent regulation promises true pluralism, an ideal in which the multilingual Needelman has a deeply personal stake.

From The Daily Beast

Almost all the applicants were multilingual and searching for their first post-university jobs.

From The Daily Beast

It has what may be the largest concentration of multilingual people in the country.

From The Daily Beast

They were multilingual, fluent in Arabic, Urdu, Baluch, and English, and moved easily through a globalizing world.

From The Daily Beast

Moskvin was described as multilingual (he spoke 13 languages) and a historian, a professional traveler, journalist, and magician.

From The Daily Beast

More About Multilingual

What does multilingual mean?

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

It can also be used to describe things that involve or that are written or spoken in multiple languages, as in These instructions are multilingual—they’re written in seven different languages.

Someone who speaks two languages is multilingual, but the term is most often used to describe someone who speaks more than three languages, since the term bilingual is commonly used to describe someone who speaks two languages and trilingual is used to describe someone who speaks three.

The ability to speak multiple languages or the use of multiple languages is called multilingualism.

Example: Being multilingual is a great advantage when applying for international jobs.

Where does multilingual come from?

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

Some people who are multilingual may be masters of all the languages they speak. In this case, they’re often called polyglots. But a person might be described—or describe themselves—as multilingual even if they’re not fluent in all of the languages they can speak. Most multilingual people have differing levels of fluency for each language they know.

Countries are often described as multilingual when they have two or more official or widely used languages. India, for example, is one of the most multilingual countries, with more than 20 official languages and at least 100 others, as well as hundreds of dialects.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to multilingual?

• multilingually (adverb)
• multilingualism (noun)

What are some synonyms for multilingual?

• polyglot

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

• bilingual
• trilingual
• monolingual
• multiple

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

• several
• language
• speaker
• speak
• communication
• writing

How is multilingual used in real life?

Multilingual is most commonly used to describe people who speak more than three languages.

Is it weird to have a multilingual inner thoughts? Kadang indo, kadang inggris, even korea :)

— Syagra Jasminda ✨ (@syagrajsmnd) June 6, 2020

Very impressed with English's seafood restaurant in Brighton and its multilingual menu! pic.twitter.com/PHgpJ7W5Tx

— Grow Global (@growglobal) February 16, 2015

PSA: There is never a reason to apologize for "bad English" when contributing/discussing in OSS 😊 Software and communicating about software are not limited to English. I should be thanking you for using English 🙏

❤️s to all you multilingual people. You are the true heroes.

— Josh Holtz 💪🚀 (@joshdholtz) June 30, 2020

 

 

Try using multilingual!

Is multilingual used correctly in the following sentence?

In some places, the street signs are multilingual since there are multiple widely spoken languages.