Definition of multilingual
1 : of, having, or expressed in several languages a multilingual sign multilingual dictionaries
2 : using or able to use several languages especially with equal fluency multilingual translators
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Recent Examples of multilingual from the Web
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As is typical in diverse Los Angeles, campaigns must be multilingual to reach voters through the media or the mail, or better, in person.
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By 2015, reliable simultaneous language translation has been cracked – with immediate consequences for the multilingual world.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'multilingual'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
The roots of multilingual come from Latin. If you happen to prefer Greek, use the synonym polyglot, in which poly- has the same meaning as multi-, and -glot means the same thing as -lingual. The best way to become multilingual is probably to be born in a bilingual (two-language) household; learning those first two seems to give the mind the kind of exercise that makes later language-learning easy.
1838
First Known Use of multilingual
1838
MULTILINGUAL Defined for English Language Learners
multilingual
playDefinition of multilingual for English Language Learners
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: able to speak and understand several languages
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: using or expressed in several languages
Learn More about multilingual
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Britannica English: Translation of multilingual for Arabic speakers
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