Word of the Day

: October 6, 2013

polyglot

adjective PAH-lee-glaht

What It Means

1 a : speaking or writing several languages

b : composed of numerous linguistic groups

2 : containing matter in several languages

3 : composed of elements from different languages

4 : widely diverse (as in ethnic or cultural origins)

polyglot in Context

Merchants in the resort city are adept at serving a polyglot clientele, and most of them can converse comfortably in several languages.

"[Joseph] Conrad established his name as a writer of 'sea stories,' and writing about the sea-with its polyglot crews, its cosmopolitan harbors, its passages and crossings-also meant writing about wanderers, migrants, and misfits who slipped the nets of nationalist narratives." - From a book review by Maya Jasanoff in New Republic, June 10, 2013

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.