polyglot

American  

[pol-ee-glot] / ˈpɒl iˌglɒt /

adjective

1. able to speak or write several languages; multilingual.

2. containing, composed of, or written in several languages.

   a polyglot Bible.

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noun

• polyglots
  plural

1. a mixture or confusion of languages.

2. a person who speaks, writes, or reads a number of languages.

3. a book, especially a Bible, containing the same text in several languages.

polyglot British  

/ ˈpɒlɪˌɡlɒt /

adjective

1. having a command of many languages

2. written in, composed of, or containing many languages

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noun

1. a person with a command of many languages

2. a book, esp a Bible, containing several versions of the same text written in various languages

3. a mixture or confusion of languages

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• polyglotism
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• polyglots
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of polyglot

First recorded in 1635–45; from Medieval Latin polyglōttus, from Greek polýglōttos “many-tongued”; see poly-, -glot

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Explanation

Ni hao! Comment allez-vous? Estoy bien, gracias. Sayōnara! If you understood everything you just read, you’re probably a polyglot — a person who understands multiple languages. There are thousands of languages spoken in the world, but you don’t need to know them all to be a polyglot. The –glot comes from the Greek word for “tongue,” and the prefix poly- means “more than one,” so if you speak two or more languages, you’re technically a polyglot. Well done! Polyglot can also be used as an adjective, like describing "a polyglot neighborhood" full of people from many different cultures or the "polyglot crowd at the Olympic games."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

polyglot polyglots

Ernst is handsome, cultured, cool under pressure, effortlessly polyglot and unshakably ethical.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

Cook, a polyglot who can speak six languages, has also been well served by nominative determinism: She is the founder and CEO of the Cook School Cooking School.

From Barron's ● Mar. 13, 2026

In other words, a significant number of multiracial Americans will “airbrush” their polyglot lineage and instead focus on their European provenance.

From Salon ● Jan. 2, 2026

It’s also important in a polyglot state like California that a poll is not conducted solely in English.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2025

The Americas had two empires, those of the Aztecs and Incas, which resembled their Eurasian counterparts in size, population, polyglot makeup, official religions, and origins in the conquest of smaller states.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

For the study, the researchers recruited 34 polyglots, each of whom had at least some degree of proficiency in five or more languages but were not bilingual or multilingual from infancy.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 11, 2024

No previous study has studied so many polyglots.

From Science Magazine ● Feb. 3, 2023

Some polyglots have noted problems with the languages already available.

From BBC ● May 11, 2022

Understanding the importance of languages in a globalized world, many Kenyans speak English, Swahili and a tribal language, and polyglots are common throughout Africa.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 21, 2018

I have elsewhere expressed a doubt about polyglots.

From The Intellectual Life by Philip Gilbert Hamerton

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Related Words

• linguist
• wordsmith

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