polyglot
Americanadjective
-
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.
-
a person who speaks, writes, or reads a number of languages.
-
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
-
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
-
a mixture or confusion of languages
Other Word Forms
Derived 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.
Al-Hashimi became a polyglot — speaking English, Farsi and Armenian — in part to curb the effects of a seizure disorder on her temporal lobe, which is crucial for language comprehension.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026
Cook, a polyglot who can speak six languages, has also been well served by nominative determinism: She is the founder and CEO of the Cook School Cooking School.
From Barron's • Mar. 13, 2026
In other words, a significant number of multiracial Americans will “airbrush” their polyglot lineage and instead focus on their European provenance.
From Salon • Jan. 2, 2026
That now extends to about 20 countries, including Ireland and Singapore and extending to polyglot Holland and Germany.
From BBC • Mar. 16, 2025
The Americas had two empires, those of the Aztecs and Incas, which resembled their Eurasian counterparts in size, population, polyglot makeup, official religions, and origins in the conquest of smaller states.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
