polyglot

[ pol-ee-glot ]
See synonyms for polyglot on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. able to speak or write several languages;multilingual.

  2. containing, composed of, or written in several languages: a polyglot Bible.

noun
  1. a mixture or confusion of languages.

  2. a person who speaks, writes, or reads a number of languages.

  1. a book, especially a Bible, containing the same text in several languages.

Origin of polyglot

1
First recorded in 1635–45; from Medieval Latin polyglōttus, from Greek polýglōttos “many-tongued”; see poly-, -glot

Other words from polyglot

  • pol·y·glot·ism, noun

Words Nearby polyglot

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use polyglot in a sentence

  • A sweet polyglot, but hurrying; it has the notes of many birds.

  • He calls this a humble tribute to the geniality of the English summer, and thinks that he may be termed a polyglot ablutionist.

    Three in Norway | James Arthur Lees
  • At this time the cars, always polyglot, are filled with shop-hands and workers, and no English at all is heard.

    Letters from America | Rupert Brooke
  • On nearing The Bow the confusion ceased; the polyglot sounds were distinguishable only as a murmur.

    Flamsted quarries | Mary E. Waller

British Dictionary definitions for polyglot

polyglot

/ (ˈpɒlɪˌɡlɒt) /


adjective
  1. having a command of many languages

  2. written in, composed of, or containing many languages

noun
  1. a person with a command of many languages

  2. a book, esp a Bible, containing several versions of the same text written in various languages

  1. a mixture or confusion of languages

Origin of polyglot

1
C17: from Greek poluglōttos literally: many-tongued, from poly- + glōtta tongue

Derived forms of polyglot

  • polyglotism or polyglottism, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012