trilingual

[ trahy-ling-gwuhlor, Canadian, -ling-gyoo-uhl ]

adjective

1. using, speaking, or involving three languages.

trilingual

/ traɪˈlɪŋɡwəl /

adjective

1. able to speak three languages fluently
2. expressed or written in three languages

Derived Forms

• triˈlingually, adverb
• triˈlingualism, noun

Other Words From

• tri·lingual·ism noun
• tri·lingual·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of trilingual¹

1825–35; < Latin trilingu ( is ) triple-tongued + -al ¹. See tri-, lingual

Example Sentences

“When we’re bilingual or trilingual, our brain is always working, and we’re able to use whatever language we can express ourselves in.”

From Seattle Times

"The best-case scenario is to have a parallel text — a so-called bilingual or trilingual — that presents approximately the same meaning, but in two or three different scripts or languages," Bonmann said.

From Scientific American

Since you're trilingual, did you need to improve your Korean fluency at all or, on the flip side – how did you prepare for the more broken English?

From Salon

American-made trilingual epic melodrama tells the story of four generations of a Korean family, first in Korea under Japanese colonial rule and then in Japan, where legal restrictions and discrimination kept them a people apart.

From Los Angeles Times

The Brazilian artist has been nothing short of phenomenal with her trilingual album “Versions of Me,” which was led by her single “Envolver.”

From Seattle Times

More About Trilingual

What does trilingual mean?

Trilingual is most commonly used to describe someone who can speak or understand three languages, especially with some level of fluency.

It can also be used to describe things that involve or that are written or spoken in three languages, as in These instructions are trilingual—they’re written in English, Spanish, and Chinese.

The similar terms bilingual and multilingual are used in the same way, with bilingual indicating two languages and multilingual indicating more than two and especially several languages.

The ability to speak three languages or the use of two languages is called trilingualism.

Example: Being trilingual is a great advantage for many job seekers.

Where does trilingual come from?

The first records of the word trilingual come from around the 1830s. It’s composed of tri-, meaning “three,” and lingual, which means “pertaining to languages.” Lingual shares a root with other language-related words, like linguistics and linguaphile.

Some people who are trilingual may be masters of all three of the languages they speak. But a person might be described—or describe themselves—as trilingual even if they’re not fluent in all three. Some people may be trilingual when they learn two languages in addition to their native language. Others may be able to speak two natives languages and another that they acquired later. A person might even be trilingual from a very young age. Countries are sometimes described as trilingual when they have three official or widely used languages.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to trilingual?

• trilingually (adverb)
• trilingualism (noun)

What are some synonyms for trilingual?

• multilingual

What are some words that share a root or word element with trilingual? 

• bilingual
• monolingual

What are some words that often get used in discussing trilingual?

• three
• language
• speaker
• speak
• communication
• writing

How is trilingual used in real life?

Trilingual is most commonly used to describe people who speak three languages, but it’s also commonly used to describe other things written in or involving three languages.  

That's so crazy when you're trilingual and you're talking to another trilingual person but then you just mix up all the languages because some expressions sounds a lot better in a certain language so you end up talking así como un loco and everyone's like que carajo está pasando

— Carvs (@seilameuk) January 19, 2019

Happy Canada Day! As part of our virtual celebrations this year, @CanadaCameroon invites you to listen to a unique trilingual version of O Canada presented by the Cameroonian recording artist Olgha NK. Happy #CanadaDay2020! 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/q4reL0Atl7

— Canada in Cameroon (@CanadaCameroon) July 1, 2020

Quiz: which airport has trilingual signs in German, English and Spanish? pic.twitter.com/KQd3bAdIQu

— Nicolas Veron (@nicolas_veron) August 25, 2019

 

 

Try using trilingual!

Is trilingual used correctly in the following sentence?

In some places, the street signs are trilingual since there are three widely spoken languages.