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

The Disciple, which premiered last night at Sundance, is designed first and foremost as a portrait of Cilvaringz, and doubles as a testament to both the lingua franca power of hip-hop and the ability of obsession to fuel four-alarm conflagrations of creative ambition. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 23 Jan. 2026

Told in a lingua franca of philosophy and academic jargon, Lucky’s speech has something to do with the collapse of reason and logic, and the futility of human progress, which is ultimately what tramps Estragon (Reeves) and Vladimir (Winter) are up against, too. —Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 17 Dec. 2025

Previous pontiffs have used the Italian lingua franca of the Vatican in favor of languages that are more widely understood. —Claudio Lavanga, NBC news, 27 Nov. 2025

The sophisticated sound work was not yet part of broadcast radio’s lingua franca, but my generation of producers were at least exposed to some of the possibilities inherent in the form. —Literary Hub, 4 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Italian, literally, Frankish language

First Known Use

1619, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for lingua franca

• banca
• tanka