Polyglot
/ˈpɒl.i.ɡlɒt/noun
A person who can speak, read, or write several languages; or relating to several languages.
Did you know?It comes from Greek roots for “many” and “tongue,” and the same language-root family also gave us words like “glossary” and “gloss,” where speech and shine are mysteriously linked.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
polýglōttos
“many-tongued; speaking many languages”
Late Latin
Latin
polyglottus
“many-tongued; multilingual”
16th Century
English
polyglot
“speaking several languages”
Modern English
English
polyglot
“a multilingual person or something in multiple languages”