any language that is widely used as a means of communication among speakers of other languages.
(initial capital letter) the Italian-Provençal jargon (with elements of Spanish, French, Greek, Arabic, and Turkish) formerly widely used in eastern Mediterranean ports.
a language used for communication among people of different mother tongues
a hybrid language containing elements from several different languages used in this way
any system of communication providing mutual understanding
1670–80; < Italian: literally, Frankish tongue
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
While Mandarin Chinese is the lingua franca here in Taiwan, there are some dishes in Taiwan that are known exclusively by their Taiwanese Hokkien names.
From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2023
Few spoke English, and the lingua franca was an amalgam of many tongues known as Fanagalo.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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
Since the beginning of October, the MZ Wallace x Lingua Franca bag has raised more than $100,000 for She Should Run, an organization that supports women running for office.
From New York Times ● Nov. 1, 2018
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
It was a comment calibrated to flatter readers who knew he was kidding and not kidding, who fall asleep snuggling tattered back issues of Lingua Franca.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 30, 2014
He spoke almost all European languages with fluency, and knew Lingua Franca, Arabic, and Sanscrit.
From The Recipe for Diamonds by Hyne, Charles John Cutcliffe Wright
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.
