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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Presenting as Muslim perhaps exempted him from comparisons to 2020 Democratic Congressional candidate Sri Preston Kulkarni from Texas, who used his polyglot skills to reach a wide array of voters, but was chastised for seemingly pandering to Hindu conservatives. Alexandra Bregman, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025 Sargent and Paris at the Met delivers a cultural polyglot with a French soul. Brian T. Allen, National Review, 15 May 2025
Adjective
For much of the past 1,000 years, Yiddish was spoken by three quarters of the world’s Jews — a Germanic vernacular, seasoned with Hebrew, Slavic and Romance vocabulary, that bridged polyglot Jewish communities in Central and Eastern Europe and followed them to the far corners of the diaspora. Andrew Silow-Carroll, Sun Sentinel, 9 June 2025 Watch on Deadline While many aspects of New York life are new to Jacobs, the inherently polyglot nature of the office is not. Dade Hayes, Deadline, 12 Sep. 2024 See All Example Sentences for polyglot

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

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Cite this Entry

“Polyglot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/polyglot. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

polyglot

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

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