Meanings
plural multilingualisms
- uncountableusuallyThe condition of being multilingual; the ability to speak multiple languages.
This is, perhaps, where writing centers and composition studies are implicated most obviously into the conversation of language ideology, translingualism, and multilingualism.
2020 October 27, Emily Bouza, Tim Cavnar, and Keli Tucker, “Translingualism: An Alternative to Restrictive Monolingual Ideologies in Writing Instruction”, in Another Word1 more example
Spielberg showed us, a nation historically obsessed with the idea of domination, that respect is a courageous choice and that multilingualism is our true color. It is who we are.
2021 December 18, Ching Ching Tan, “Spielberg’s West Side Story shows us the value of multilingualism”, in CNNSynonyms: multilinguality, polylingualism
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe condition of being multilingual; the ability to speak multiple languages.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*mel-
- Proto-Indo-European*ml̥tós?
- Proto-Italic*moltos
- Latinmultus
- Latinmultī
- Middle Englishmulti-
- Englishmulti-
- Proto-Indo-European*dn̥ǵʰwéh₂s
- Proto-Italic*dn̥ɣwā
- Latindingua
- Latinlingua
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂élisder.?
- Latinlinguāli
- Englishlingual
- Englishmultilingual
- Englishmultilingualism
From multilingual + -ism.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic متعدد اللغات
- متعدد اللغاتability to speak several languages
Basque eleaniztasuna
- eleaniztasunaability to speak several languages
Catalan plurilingüisme, multilingüisme
- plurilingüismeability to speak several languages
- multilingüismeability to speak several languages
Czech vícejazyčnost
- vícejazyčnostability to speak several languages
Dutch meertaligheid
- meertaligheidability to speak several languages
Esperanto plurlingvismo
- plurlingvismoability to speak several languages
Finnish monikielisyys
- monikielisyysability to speak several languages
French multilinguisme, plurilinguisme
- multilinguismeability to speak several languages
- plurilinguismeability to speak several languages
German Mehrsprachigkeit, Vielsprachigkeit
- Mehrsprachigkeitability to speak several languages
- Vielsprachigkeitability to speak several languages
- Multilingualismusability to speak several languages
- Multilinguismusability to speak several languages
- Multilingualitätability to speak several languages
Hebrew רב־לשוניות
- רב־לשוניות (rav-leshoniyút)ability to speak several languages
Hindi बहुभाषिकता, बहुभाषिता
- बहुभाषिकता (bahubhāṣiktā)ability to speak several languages
- बहुभाषिता (bahubhāṣitā)ability to speak several languages
Hungarian többnyelvűség
- többnyelvűségability to speak several languages
Italian plurilinguismo, multilinguismo
- plurilinguismoability to speak several languages
- multilinguismoability to speak several languages
Latin multilingualismus
- multilingualismusability to speak several languages
Lithuanian daugiakalbystė
- daugiakalbystėability to speak several languages
Norwegian Bokmål flerspråklighet
- flerspråklighetability to speak several languages
Polish wielojęzyczność
- wielojęzycznośćability to speak several languages
Portuguese plurilinguismo, multilinguismo
- plurilinguismoability to speak several languages
- multilinguismoability to speak several languages
Romanian multilingvism
- multilingvismability to speak several languages
Russian многоязы́чие, многоязы́чность
- многоязы́чие (mnogojazýčije)ability to speak several languages
- многоязы́чность (mnogojazýčnostʹ)ability to speak several languages
- мультилингви́зм (mulʹtilingvízm)ability to speak several languages
Spanish plurilingüismo, multilingüismo
- plurilingüismoability to speak several languages
- multilingüismoability to speak several languages
Swedish flerspråkighet
- flerspråkighetability to speak several languages
Turkish çokdillilik
- çokdillilikability to speak several languages
Ukrainian багатомо́вність
- багатомо́вність (bahatomóvnistʹ)ability to speak several languages
Cite this entry
multilingualism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/multilingualism
“multilingualism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/multilingualism. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “multilingualism,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/multilingualism.
Source: multilingualism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.