polyglot

1 of 2

noun

poly·​glot ˈpä-lē-ˌglät How to pronounce polyglot (audio)
1
: one who is polyglot
2
capitalized : a book containing versions of the same text in several languages
especially : the Scriptures in several languages
3
: a mixture or confusion of languages or nomenclatures

polyglot

2 of 2

adjective

1
a
: speaking or writing several languages : multilingual
b
: composed of numerous linguistic groups
a polyglot population
2
: containing matter in several languages
a polyglot sign
3
: composed of elements from different languages
4
: widely diverse (as in ethnic or cultural origins)
a polyglot cuisine

Did you know?

Polyglot comes from Greek polyglōttos, a combination of poly-, meaning "many" or "multi-," and glōtta, "language." Eventually, the word came to describe multilingual diversity.

Examples of polyglot in a Sentence

Adjective a polyglot community made up of many cultures
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
In Episode 2, Toby, a polyglot, nearly blows a gasket after getting coerced into a three-hour Japanese club session. Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 8 Mar. 2024 McKinney Russell, a diplomat and polyglot who was the head of the press and cultural section, and Ray Burghardt, the acting deputy chief of mission, met them inside. Timothy McLaughlin, The Atlantic, 4 Nov. 2023 By the middle of the 20th century, New York City had developed a distinct musical culture that reflected its polyglot character. TIME, 13 Oct. 2023 Oppenheimer, played over four decades by a superbly restrained yet intensely expressive Cillian Murphy, is a polymath and a polyglot, a lover of art and literature as well as science. Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2023 Bernardo Arévalo, a polyglot sociologist from an upstart party made up largely of urban professionals, took 58 percent of the vote with 98 percent of votes counted on Sunday, the electoral authority said. Jody García, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2023 Enter Email Sign Up The composer has always been a genre-blender, and the musicians’ polyglot nature plays well with his strengths. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 1 May 2023 Dance polyglots abound in the entertainment industry. Margaret Fuhrer, New York Times, 19 June 2023 Diaspora Problems represents the blossoming of all their ideas — a polyglot of genres representing a new musical language unique to Soul Glo. Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 26 June 2023
Adjective
The previously dazzling and polyglot metropole of Vienna became merely the capital of Austria, a tiny and economically ravaged rump state whose awkward geography was made up mostly (but not exclusively) of German speakers. Patrick Blanchfield, The New Republic, 1 Sep. 2022 Ty, a British rapper known for a lyrically thoughtful, musically polyglot approach to hip-hop and for serving as a bridge between generations of British rap, died on May 7 in London. Jon Caramanica, New York Times, 15 May 2020 Their politics are just one expression of that basic temperament—a temperament that might push them to live in polyglot cities, to hitchhike across Europe, to watch foreign-language films. Osita Nwanevu, The New Republic, 19 May 2020 When necessary, a translation service on speakerphone rounds out the polyglot medical chatter. David Montgomery, Washington Post, 31 Mar. 2020 This is why the MIT study of living polyglot brains offers more promise. TheWeek, 22 Feb. 2020 Even Kabul, which struggles daily to keep the Taliban at bay, was in the 16th century a polyglot place that beguiled a young Babur. Tunku Varadarajan, WSJ, 31 Jan. 2020 Donegal—that green archaism— and Manhattan in the nineteen-thirties, polyglot dynamo, all that was great about the twentieth century fermenting in its democratic casks. Campbell McGrath, The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2020 Salazar’s heavy hand did not prevent a brisk business in books, newspapers, and magazines among the polyglot population of the city. Time, 3 Jan. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'polyglot.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

derivative of polyglot entry 2; (sense 2) in part after the Complutensian Polyglot, a multilingual printed edition of the Bible completed in 1517

Adjective

borrowed from Greek (Attic) polýglōssos, (non-Attic) polýglōttos "speaking with many tongues, conveying many messages, in many languages," from poly- poly- + -glōssos, -glōttos, adjective derivative of glôssa, glôtta "tongue, language" — more at gloss entry 3

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1645, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1650, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of polyglot was circa 1645

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near polyglot

Cite this Entry

“Polyglot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/polyglot. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

polyglot

adjective
poly·​glot
ˈpäl-i-ˌglät
1
: speaking or writing several languages
2
: containing or composed of several languages
polyglot noun

More from Merriam-Webster on polyglot

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!