glottophagy

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noun

The absorption or replacement of minor languages or dialects by major ones.

OriginFrench glottophagie →
Scrabble 21
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Meanings

nounglottophagy (uncountable)
  1. rareuncountableThe absorption or replacement of minor languages or dialects by major ones.

    One scientist's language spread is another's glottophagy. There are a number of partly overlapping perspectives, which can be regarded as concerned primarily with progression or regression.

    1993, Kenneth Hyltenstam, Åke Viberg, Progression and regression in language, page 28

Origin

  1. Frenchglottophagie
  2. Englishglottophagy

Borrowed from French glottophagie, coined by Louis-Jean Calvet. By surface analysis, glotto- + -phagy.

More words from French

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

glottophagy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/glottophagy

MLA

“glottophagy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/glottophagy. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “glottophagy,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/glottophagy.

Source: glottophagy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.