lingua franca

[frang-kuh]

noun

plural

lingua francas, linguae francae 

1. any language that is widely used as a means of communication among speakers of other languages.

2. (initial capital letter),  the Italian-Provençal jargon (with elements of Spanish, French, Greek, Arabic, and Turkish) formerly widely used in eastern Mediterranean ports.

lingua franca

¹

/ ˈlɪŋɡwə ˈfræŋkə /

noun

1. a language used for communication among people of different mother tongues

2. a hybrid language containing elements from several different languages used in this way

3. any system of communication providing mutual understanding

Lingua Franca

²

noun

1. a particular lingua franca spoken from the time of the Crusades to the 18th century in the ports of the Mediterranean, based on Italian, Spanish, French, Arabic, Greek, and Turkish

Word History and Origins

Origin of lingua franca¹

1670–80; < Italian: literally, Frankish tongue

Word History and Origins

Origin of lingua franca¹

C17: Italian, literally: Frankish tongue

Related Words

• accent 
• dialect 
• expression 
• jargon 
• prose 
• sound 
• speech 
• style 
• terminology 
• vocabulary 
• voice 
• word 
• wording