polyglot means of a person: speaking, or versed in, many languages; multilingual.
polyglot is pronounced /ˈpɒlɪɡlɒt/.
Why “polyglot” is a great word
A person who speaks or uses many languages, or a text composed in them. From the Greek poly- ("many") and glōtta ("tongue, language"), first recorded in English use in the 1630s. Unlike "bilingual," which denotes a neat duality, or "multilingual," which often describes a communal condition, "polyglot" implies a singular, acquired mastery—a private congress of tongues. It is the scholar hunched over a six-columned Bible, the diplomat shifting effortlessly between courtesy and nuance, the quiet click of a mental switch between one worldview and the next—a testament to the human refusal to be contained by a single map of reality.
Etymology
Borrowed from Attic Greek πολύγλωττος (polúglōttos, “speaking many languages, multilingual”), alternative form of Ancient Greek πολῠ́γλωσσος (polŭ́glōssos, “speaking many languages, multilingual”), from πολῠ́ς (polŭ́s, “a lot of, many”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₁- (“to fill”)) + Attic Greek γλῶττα (glôtta), Ancient Greek γλῶσσᾰ (glôssă, “tongue; language”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *glōgʰs (“tip of corn”)) + -ος (-os, suffix forming o-grade action nouns). The English word is analysable as poly- + -glot. Noun sense 1 (“publication in several languages”) is probably derived from Late Latin polyglottus, from Attic Greek πολύγλωττος (polúglōttos): see above.
adj
- Of a person: speaking, or versed in, many languages; multilingual.
- Containing, or made up of, several languages; specifically, of a book (especially a bible): having text translated into several languages.e.g.“a polyglot bible a polyglot lexicon”
- Comprising various (native) linguistic groups; multilingual.e.g.“Even in Switzerland, one of the most polyglot of nations, no more than 10 percent of the people are capable of writing a simple letter in English.”
noun
- A publication in several languages; specifically, a book (especially a bible) containing several versions of the same subject matter or text in several languages.
- One who has mastered (especially when able to speak) several languages.
- A mixture of languages or nomenclatures.
- A file that can be interpreted validly as multiple formats.
- A program written to be valid in multiple programming languages.
- A bird able to imitate the sounds of other birds.
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- omniglot 84% match — A person or entity who has mastered all languages. vs polyglot →
- heteroglossia 83% match — The coexistence of distinct linguistic varieties, styles of discourse, or points of view within a single language, as in a literary work. vs polyglot →
- glossolalist 83% match — One who exhibits glossolalia; one who speaks in tongues. vs polyglot →
- biliterate 83% match — Capable of reading and writing in two languages. vs polyglot →
- hexapla 82% match — A text presented in six parallel versions, especially (historical) the version of the Old Testament presented in such a fashion by Origen. vs polyglot →
- diglossia 82% match — The coexistence in a given population of two closely related native languages or dialects, one of which is regarded as more prestigious than the other; the similar coexistence of two unrelated languages. vs polyglot →
- polymath 82% match — A person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge. vs polyglot →
- polyonymy 82% match — The use of many names for the same thing or person. vs polyglot →