polyglossia

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noun

The coexistence of multiple languages in the same geographic area.

OriginEnglish poly- ← Ancient Greek πολῠ́ς (polŭ́s) ← Proto-Indo-European *polh₁ús →
Scrabble 17
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Meanings

nounpolyglossia (uncountable)
  1. uncountableThe coexistence of multiple languages in the same geographic area.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*pleh₁-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*polh₁ús
  3. Ancient Greekπολῠ́ς (polŭ́s)
  4. Englishpoly-
  5. Englishpolyglossia

From poly- + -glossia.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Dutch meertaligheid
  • meertaligheidpolyglossia
French polyglossie
  • polyglossiepolyglossia
German Polyglossie
  • Polyglossiepolyglossia
Greek πολυγλωσσία
  • πολυγλωσσία (polyglossía)polyglossia
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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