lingua franca
noun
any language that is widely used as a means of communication among speakers of other languages.
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lingua franca
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Lingua Franca
Lingua Francanouna 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
lingua franca
American
[frang-kuh]
/ ˈfræŋ kə /
noun
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lingua francas,
plural
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linguae francae
plural
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any language that is widely used as a means of communication among speakers of other languages.
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(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
British
/ ˈlɪŋɡwə ˈfræŋkə /
noun
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a language used for communication among people of different mother tongues
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a hybrid language containing elements from several different languages used in this way
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any system of communication providing mutual understanding
Lingua Franca
2
British
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of lingua franca
1670–80; < Italian: literally, Frankish tongue
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.
See Examples For:
At some point, we reached a moment in our culture where being funny became the kind of lingua franca.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
This entails programs to promote standard Chinese as the national lingua franca, instill pride in Chinese cultural heritage and exert stronger central control over regions with large ethnic-minority populations such as Tibet and Xinjiang.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 12, 2026
His Russian has improved in prison, where it is a lingua franca among the inmates.
From Barron's ● Jan. 30, 2026
It’s the kind of zippy, immersive crime thriller that reminds you of the international lingua franca that Scorsese all but invented with “Goodfellas.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 18, 2025
Mice do not speak Lapine, but there is a very simple, limited lingua franca of the hedgerow and woodland.
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
That fall and into the spring, we soaked up everything that the L.A. bar scene has to offer: mai tais in Chinatown, followed by souvlaki at Greekman’s and shoestring fries at Lingua Franca.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2023
Time has only burnished the reputations of Oregon Pinot pioneers St. Innocent, Brick House and Domaine Drouhin, while newer wineries such as Lingua Franca, Nicolas-Jay and Lachini Vineyards make use of Burgundian talent.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2018
Bergen’s sweater was custom made for her by luxury sweater brand Lingua Franca.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 14, 2017
Their operation, Lingua Franca, now sells elegant pinot noirs and chardonnays from purchased grapes and, this year, an excellent rosé from the vineyard’s first crop.
From New York Times ● Sep. 14, 2017
He spoke almost all European languages with fluency, and knew Lingua Franca, Arabic, and Sanscrit.
From The Recipe for Diamonds by Charles John Cutcliffe Wright Hyne
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.
