bilingual

[bahy-ling-gwuh l or, Canadian, -ling-gyoo-uh l]

adjective

able to speak two languages with the facility of a native speaker.

spoken, written, or containing similar information in two different languages: a bilingual dictionary; Public notices at the embassy are bilingual.

of, involving, or using two languages: a bilingual community; bilingual schools.

noun

a bilingual person.

Origin of bilingual

1835–45; < Latin bilingu(is) (bi- bi-¹ + lingu-, stem of lingua tongue + -is adj. suffix) + -al¹

Related formsbi·lin·gual·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bi-lingual

Historical Examples of bi-lingual

“Bi-lingual,” said the constable, with an air of importance.
When William Came
Saki
They were bi-lingual, being in English and in coast Arabic, in which dialect Bones was something of a master.
The Keepers of the King's Peace
Edgar Wallace
The Navaho portions of later pamphlets in this bi-lingual series are the joint work of Harrington and Young.
Little Man's Family
J. B. Enochs
These bi-lingual texts are an attempt to speed up Indian understanding of modern life.
Little Man's Family
J. B. Enochs
In bi-lingual districts children's answers would have a special value.
Literary Tours in The Highlands and Islands of Scotland
Daniel Turner Holmes

British Dictionary definitions for bi-lingual

bilingual

adjective

able to speak two languages, esp with fluency

written or expressed in two languages

noun

a bilingual person

Derived Formsbilingualism, nounbilingually, adverb

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

Word Origin and History for bi-lingual

bilingual

adj.

1818, from bi- + lingual. Latin bilinguis meant literally "two-tongued," and, figuratively, "speaking a jumble of languages," also "double-tongued, hypocritical, false."