polyglot

noun poly·glot \ ˈpä-lē-ˌglät \

Definition of polyglot

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 was our Word of the Day on 10/06/2013. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of polyglot from the Web

Whatever the reason, the number of players on the team swelled, and the Bison became a polyglot of the deaf experience—

— matthew davis, The Atlantic, "'America's Deaf Team' Tackles Identity Politics," 10 May 2017
Though the ingredients are almost all local, the food reflects Israel’s polyglot culture, with influences from across the Jewish diaspora.

— gabriella gershenson, New York Times, "Tel Aviv Restaurant With Local Ingredients, Global Influences," 31 Mar. 2017
American cuisine is decidedly global, a polyglot of constantly evolving ingredients, flavors, and ideas from every possible corner of the globe.

— david sax, The New Yorker, "The Sriracha Argument for Immigration," 27 Mar. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'polyglot.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of polyglot

²polyglot

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1645

See Words from the same year

Other Literature Terms

apophasis, bathos, bildungsroman, bowdlerize, caesura, coda, doggerel, euphemism, poesy, prosody

polyglot

adjective

Definition of polyglot

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

See polyglot defined for English-language learners

See polyglot defined for kids

Examples of polyglot in a Sentence

a polyglot community made up of many cultures

Recent Examples of polyglot from the Web

What those songs really turned out to be were the purest displays of her polyglot approach.

— spencer kornhaber, The Atlantic, "The Urgent Message of M.I.A.'s Kala at 10," 8 Aug. 2017
Karachi, a huge, polyglot trading city built up from waves of refugees, is an uncomfortable appendage to the rural, backward Sindhi-speaking province of Sindh.

— The Economist, "Reconciliation is not impossible, but it will be a long, slow process," 22 July 2017
That house was a shrine to the old Levantine world of which Aleppo — with its polyglot traders, its mix of Europe and Asia, Christianity and Islam — had been the center.

— robert f. worth, New York Times, "Aleppo After the Fall," 24 May 2017
So the layered, textured, polyglot funk of the LP was layered and textured afresh.

— paul elie, The New Yorker, "A Brilliant Return for a Talking Heads Album," 13 May 2017
Support for the ideals of diversity and tolerance on the one hand and fears of tribalism and social fragmentation on the other collide on almost every page, beginning in the chaotic, polyglot trading outpost that was New Amsterdam.

— kay hymowitz, New York Times, "New York Values: How Immigrants Made the City," 1 Nov. 2016

Did You Know?

You've probably run across the prefix poly- before-it comes from Greek and means "many" or "multi-." But what about glot? That part of the word comes from the Greek term glōtta, meaning "language" or "tongue." (Glōtta is also the source of glottis, the word for the space between the vocal cords.) Polyglot itself entered English in the 17th century, both as an adjective and as a noun meaning "one who can write or speak several languages." You could call the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V a polyglot. He claimed that he addressed his horse only in German, he conversed with women in Italian and with men in French, but reserved Spanish for his talks with God.