adj · noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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/ˌmʌltiˈlɪŋɡwəl/
/ˌmʌltiˈlɪŋɡju.əl/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -ɪŋɡwəl
CMU ARPABET:M AH2 L T IY0 L IH1 NG W AH0 L
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
CMU ARPABET 2:M AH2 L T AY0 L IH1 NG W AH0 L
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Of, relating to, or involving multiple languages.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: polyglot
Antonyms: monolingual, unilingual
3
noun
Meaning 3
A polyglot.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
adjective
Meaning 4
using or knowing more than one language
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
a multilingual translator
a multilingual nation
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: monolingual
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *mel-der. Proto-Indo-European *ml̥tós? Proto-Italic *moltos Latin multus Latin multīder. Middle English multi- English multi- Latin linguālislbor. English lingual English multilingual From multi- + lingual.
Across languages
Translations
102 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
مُتَعَدِّد اللُّغَات
(mutaʕaddid al-luḡāt)
— pertaining to multiple languages
Arabic:
أَلْسُنِيّ
(ʔalsuniyy)
— pertaining to multiple languages
Arabic:
لُغَاتِيّ
(luḡātiyy)
— pertaining to multiple languages
Azerbaijani:
çoxdilli
— pertaining to multiple languages
Basque:
eleanitz
— pertaining to multiple languages
Belarusian:
шматмо́ўны
(šmatmówny)
— pertaining to multiple languages
Belarusian:
мнагамо́ўны
(mnahamówny)
— pertaining to multiple languages
Bulgarian:
многоези́чен
(mnogoezíčen)
— pertaining to multiple languages
Catalan:
multilingüe
— pertaining to multiple languages
Catalan:
plurilingüe
— pertaining to multiple languages
Chinese Mandarin:
多種語言 /多种语言
(duōzhǒngyǔyán)
— pertaining to multiple languages
Chinese Mandarin:
多語 /多语
(duōyǔ)
— pertaining to multiple languages
Czech:
vícejazyčný
— pertaining to multiple languages
Czech:
mnohojazyčný
— pertaining to multiple languages
Danish:
flersproget
— pertaining to multiple languages
Dutch:
meertalig
— pertaining to multiple languages
Esperanto:
plurlingva
— pertaining to multiple languages
Esperanto:
multlingva
— pertaining to multiple languages
Finnish:
monikielinen
— pertaining to multiple languages
French:
plurilingue
— pertaining to multiple languages
French:
multilingue
— pertaining to multiple languages
Galician:
multilingüe
— pertaining to multiple languages
Galician:
plurilingüe
— pertaining to multiple languages
Georgian:
მრავალენობრივი
(mravalenobrivi)
— pertaining to multiple languages
Georgian:
მრავალენოვანი
(mravalenovani)
— pertaining to multiple languages
German:
vielsprachig
— pertaining to multiple languages
German:
mehrsprachig
— pertaining to multiple languages
German:
multilingual
— pertaining to multiple languages
German:
polyglott
— pertaining to multiple languages
German:
polyglottisch
— pertaining to multiple languages
Greek:
πολύγλωσσος
(polýglossos)
— pertaining to multiple languages
Hungarian:
többnyelvű
— pertaining to multiple languages
Hungarian:
soknyelvű
— pertaining to multiple languages
Icelandic:
fjöltyngdur
— pertaining to multiple languages
Indonesian:
multibahasa
— pertaining to multiple languages
Interlingua:
multilingue
— pertaining to multiple languages
Italian:
plurilingue
— pertaining to multiple languages
Italian:
multilingue
— pertaining to multiple languages
Japanese:
多言語
(tagengo)
— pertaining to multiple languages
Korean:
다중언어
(dajung'eoneo)
— pertaining to multiple languages
Korean:
다국어
(dagugeo)
— pertaining to multiple languages
Northern Kurdish:
pirzimanî
— pertaining to multiple languages
Latvian:
daudzvalodīgs
— pertaining to multiple languages
Macedonian:
повеќеја́зичен
(poveḱejázičen)
— pertaining to multiple languages
Māori:
reomaha
— pertaining to multiple languages
Navajo:
díkwííshį́į́ saad yidiitsʼaʼ
— pertaining to multiple languages
Norwegian Bokmål:
flerspråklig
— pertaining to multiple languages
Norwegian Nynorsk:
fleirspråkleg
— pertaining to multiple languages
Persian:
چند زبانه
(čand zabâne)
— pertaining to multiple languages
Polish:
wielojęzyczny
— pertaining to multiple languages
Portuguese:
multilíngue
— pertaining to multiple languages
Portuguese:
multilingue
— pertaining to multiple languages
Portuguese:
plurilíngue
— pertaining to multiple languages
Portuguese:
plurilingue
— pertaining to multiple languages
Russian:
многоязы́чный
(mnogojazýčnyj)
— pertaining to multiple languages
Scottish Gaelic:
ioma-chànaineach
— pertaining to multiple languages
Serbo-Croatian:
вишејезичан
— pertaining to multiple languages
Serbo-Croatian:
višejezičan
— pertaining to multiple languages
Slovak:
mnohojazyčný
— pertaining to multiple languages
Slovene:
večjezičen
— pertaining to multiple languages
Spanish:
multilingüe
— pertaining to multiple languages
Swedish:
flerspråkig
— pertaining to multiple languages
Swedish:
mångspråkig
— pertaining to multiple languages
Telugu:
బహుభాషా
(bahubhāṣā)
— pertaining to multiple languages
Turkish:
çokdilli
— pertaining to multiple languages
Ukrainian:
багатомо́вний
(bahatomóvnyj)
— pertaining to multiple languages
Urdu:
کثیر اللسان
— pertaining to multiple languages
Vietnamese:
đa ngôn ngữ
— pertaining to multiple languages
Albanian:
shumëgjuhësh
— able to communicate fluently in multiple languages
Arabic:
أَلْسُنِيّ
(ʔalsuniyy)
— able to communicate fluently in multiple languages
Arabic:
لِسانجيّ
— able to communicate fluently in multiple languages
Azerbaijani:
çoxdilli
— able to communicate fluently in multiple languages
Basque:
eleanitz
— able to communicate fluently in multiple languages
Catalan:
multilingüe
— able to communicate fluently in multiple languages
Catalan:
plurilingüe
— able to communicate fluently in multiple languages
Finnish:
monikielinen
— able to communicate fluently in multiple languages
French:
polyglotte
— able to communicate fluently in multiple languages
Galician:
multilingüe
— able to communicate fluently in multiple languages
Galician:
plurilingüe
— able to communicate fluently in multiple languages
Galician:
políglota
— able to communicate fluently in multiple languages
Georgian:
მრავალენოვანი
(mravalenovani)
— able to communicate fluently in multiple languages
German:
mehrsprachig
— able to communicate fluently in multiple languages
German:
polyglott
— able to communicate fluently in multiple languages
Greek:
πολύγλωσσος
(polýglossos)
— able to communicate fluently in multiple languages
Greek:
γλωσσομαθής
(glossomathís)
— able to communicate fluently in multiple languages
Ancient Greek:
πολύγλωσσος
(polúglōssos)
— able to communicate fluently in multiple languages
Hungarian:
poliglott
— able to communicate fluently in multiple languages
Macedonian:
повеќеја́зичен
(poveḱejázičen)
— able to communicate fluently in multiple languages
Norwegian Bokmål:
flerspråklig
— able to communicate fluently in multiple languages
Norwegian Nynorsk:
fleirspråkleg
— able to communicate fluently in multiple languages
Polish:
wielojęzyczny
— able to communicate fluently in multiple languages
Portuguese:
poliglota
— able to communicate fluently in multiple languages
Portuguese:
multilíngue
— able to communicate fluently in multiple languages
Portuguese:
multilingue
— able to communicate fluently in multiple languages
Portuguese:
plurilíngue
— able to communicate fluently in multiple languages
Portuguese:
plurilingue
— able to communicate fluently in multiple languages
Russian:
многоязы́чный
(mnogojazýčnyj)
— able to communicate fluently in multiple languages
Scottish Gaelic:
ioma-chànaineach
— able to communicate fluently in multiple languages
Spanish:
multilingüe
— able to communicate fluently in multiple languages
Swedish:
flerspråkig
— able to communicate fluently in multiple languages
Turkish:
çokdilli
— able to communicate fluently in multiple languages
Urdu:
کثیر اللسان
— able to communicate fluently in multiple languages