Interlinguistic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Concerning the relationships and comparisons that arise between various languages
2. Involving the examination of how different languages interact and inform each other
3. Pertaining to the study or consideration of connections between multiple languages

Etymology: "Interlinguistic" is a plain compound: the Latin prefix "inter-", meaning "between" or "among", attached to "linguistic", the adjective from "lingua", Latin for "tongue" or "language." Put together, the word describes what happens between languages, such as a translation exchange or a shared vocabulary that crosses a language border. The "inter-" prefix is one of the most productive in English, turning up in words like "international" and "interdisciplinary," so a reader who knows those will recognise the pattern at once. The "linguistic" half comes through Latin "linguisticus" and ultimately from "lingua," the same root that gives English "language" and "lingual." Because the word is a transparent combination of two familiar parts, its meaning can be read straight from its construction without any surprises along the way.

Synonyms: cross-linguistic, multilingual, bilingual, polyglot, linguistic