polyglot
Americanadjective
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able to speak or write several languages; multilingual.
-
containing, composed of, or written in several languages.
a polyglot Bible.
noun
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a mixture or confusion of languages.
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a person who speaks, writes, or reads a number of languages.
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a book, especially a Bible, containing the same text in several languages.
adjective
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having a command of many languages
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written in, composed of, or containing many languages
noun
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a person with a command of many languages
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a book, esp a Bible, containing several versions of the same text written in various languages
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a mixture or confusion of languages
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of polyglot
First recorded in 1635–45; from Medieval Latin polyglōttus, from Greek polýglōttos “many-tongued”; see poly-, -glot
Explanation
Ni hao! Comment allez-vous? Estoy bien, gracias. Sayōnara! If you understood everything you just read, you’re probably a polyglot — a person who understands multiple languages. There are thousands of languages spoken in the world, but you don’t need to know them all to be a polyglot. The –glot comes from the Greek word for “tongue,” and the prefix poly- means “more than one,” so if you speak two or more languages, you’re technically a polyglot. Well done! Polyglot can also be used as an adjective, like describing "a polyglot neighborhood" full of people from many different cultures or the "polyglot crowd at the Olympic games."
Vocabulary lists containing polyglot
Dracula
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Ender's Game
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UCPS 6th Grade Roots List #5
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Polyglot taught me you can actually crouch down beside your dog’s bowl and do physical comedy where you pretend to be a dog, even in your 80s.
From Time • Nov. 20, 2014
Polyglot erects six platforms, which serve as anchors for 24 poles, from about 13 to 23 feet tall.
From New York Times • Jul. 26, 2012
St. Catherine that was home to the earliest near-complete copy of the Bible, and the first volume of a Complutensian Polyglot Bible that was used for the comparative study of the text of Scripture.
From New York Times • Jun. 12, 2010
Organised by Australia's Polyglot Theatre, this marvellous brainwave runs from Thursday 3 June to Saturday 5 June between 10.30am and 1pm and 2.30-5pm.
From The Guardian • Jun. 2, 2010
Here was Jay's Polyglot, and the matrimonial Sanctius again!
From A Bibliographical, Antiquarian and Picturesque Tour in France and Germany, Volume One by Dibdin, Thomas Frognall
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
