lingua franca

noun

lin·​gua fran·​ca ˈliŋ-gwə-ˈfraŋ-kə 

plural lingua francas or linguae francae ˈliŋ-gwē-ˈfraŋ-(ˌ)kē 

1

often Lingua franca : a common language consisting of Italian mixed with French, Spanish, Greek, and Arabic that was formerly spoken in Mediterranean ports

2

: any of various languages used as common or commercial tongues among peoples of diverse speech

English is used as a lingua franca among many airline pilots.

3

: something resembling a common language

Movies are the lingua franca of the twentieth century.

—Gore Vidal

Did you know?

In the Middle Ages, the Arabs of the eastern Mediterranean referred to all Europeans as Franks (the name of the tribe that once occupied the land we call France). Since there was plenty of Arab-European trade, the traders in the Mediterranean ports eventually developed a trading language combining Italian, Arabic, and other languages, which almost everyone could more or less understand, and it became known as the "Frankish language", or lingua franca. Some languages actually succeed in becoming lingua francas without changing much. So, when the Roman empire became vast and mighty, Latin became the important lingua franca; and at a meeting between Japanese and Vietnamese businesspeople today, English may well be the only language spoken.

Examples of lingua franca in a Sentence

English is used as a lingua franca among many airline pilots.

Recent Examples on the Web

Best known as the composer of nearly 100 film scores, including Spellbound, Ben Hur and King of Kings, Rózsa helped established a late romantic-dramatic musical language as the lingua franca of film music. —Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News, 27 Mar. 2026

Among the best-selling books of all time (after the Bible, naturally), Harry Potter is a cultural touchpoint and lingua franca for tens of millions of readers worldwide — one that, for many of the attendees, served as their first introduction to the joys of reading. —Séamas O'Reilly, Vulture, 26 Mar. 2026

In the United States, most Seders move between English, Hebrew and Aramaic, which was once the lingua franca of much of the ancient Middle East. —Bryan Kirschen, The Conversation, 25 Mar. 2026

Kang noted that Demon Hunters’ visual style was consciously shaped by her lifelong love of anime and manhwa — Korean comics and graphic novels — and executed with careful attention to Korean linguistic and cultural nuances, even though the film’s lingua franca is American English. —Dan Bilefsky, HollywoodReporter, 21 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Italian, literally, Frankish language

First Known Use

1619, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for lingua franca

• banca
• tanka