multilingual

7 4.3

Able to speak or use more than one language

adjective
/ˌmʌltiˈlɪŋɡwəl/

: multilingüe

Many of the Finnish sites, for example, are multilingual and offer texts in Finnish, Swedish, and English.
multilingual text
multilingual society
multilingual classroom

So the massively multilingual speech model.

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Examples

But you were cool and you're smart and you were multilingual and I felt like I could really understand you.
Many universities offer multilingual programs to accommodate international students.
Another positive feature of this study was the truly multilingual nature of the data collection.

Academic text (2011)
Finally, communities refer to our participation in multilingual communities at home and around the world.

Academic text (1999)
Financial compensation for multilingual ability can be used in recruitment efforts.

Academic text (2009)
Of course, many European teachers are multilingual, enhancing the likelihood of communication.

Academic text (2002)
Still today, initiatives like multilingual education link indigenous peoples and the state.

Academic text (2012)
Schumpeter was a brilliant, multilingual speaker, comfortable in all major European languages except Russian.

Academic text (1991)
Thea is a multilingual AI that kind of coaches you and adapts to your performance during the test.
Their passports were closely scrutinized by a multilingual border guard tasked with weeding out potential refugees.

Academic text (2015)

Synonyms

polyglot

vsmultilingual

1 7.4

Using or written in more than one language

is about being usable or expressed in more than one language

Antonyms

monolingual

1 4.3

A text or speech that uses only one language

Compounds

multilingual event

3.6

An event where people use two or more languages to talk

How Multilingual

multilingual

7 4.3

trilingual

1 5.3

Surface Forms

multilingual positive

Morphology

multilingual = lingual (semi-transparent) = multi + lingual

The prefix 'multi-' clearly expresses plurality, but 'lingual' is a learned form, so the full meaning is only partly transparent.

Etymology

Multilingual comes from the parts multi- meaning 'many' and lingual from lingua meaning 'tongue' or 'language', so it literally means 'many tongues'. That's why multilingual describes a person, country, or text that uses several languages.