polyglot

American  

[pol-ee-glot] / ˈpɒl iˌglɒt /

adjective

1. able to speak or write several languages; multilingual.

2. containing, composed of, or written in several languages.

   a polyglot Bible.

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noun

1. a mixture or confusion of languages.

2. a person who speaks, writes, or reads a number of languages.

3. a book, especially a Bible, containing the same text in several languages.

polyglot British  

/ ˈpɒlɪˌɡlɒt /

adjective

1. having a command of many languages

2. written in, composed of, or containing many languages

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noun

1. a person with a command of many languages

2. a book, esp a Bible, containing several versions of the same text written in various languages

3. a mixture or confusion of languages

Other Word Forms

• polyglotism noun

Etymology

Origin of polyglot

First recorded in 1635–45; from Medieval Latin polyglōttus, from Greek polýglōttos “many-tongued”; poly-, -glot

Example Sentences

Having gained a reputation for punchy phrases, the polyglot politician appears unlikely to shy away from the fight.

From Barron's

It’s also important in a polyglot state like California that a poll is not conducted solely in English.

From Los Angeles Times

Historians say the deprivation contributed to the growing ethnic tensions of the polyglot state, which led to the Bosnian War in the 1990s.

From Salon

That now extends to about 20 countries, including Ireland and Singapore and extending to polyglot Holland and Germany.

From BBC

In the brains of these polyglots -- people who speak five or more languages -- the same language regions light up when they listen to any of the languages that they speak.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• linguist
• wordsmith