Omnilingual

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ɒmnɪˈlɪŋ.ɡwəl/

Definitions

1. Referring to a capability to comprehend and converse in every language without limitation
2. Pertaining to having a command of all languages, enabling communication across diverse linguistic systems
3. Having the ability to interpret and speak any language without restriction

Etymology: Omnilingual is a plain compound: "omni-", from Latin "omnis" meaning "all", joined to "lingual", which comes through Latin "lingualis" from "lingua", the word for "tongue" and, by extension, "language". Put together, the word describes someone who knows every language, and it is built the same way as many other English words that pair "omni-" with a classical base. The useful thing to notice is how much of the vocabulary is already inside it. "Lingua" is the source of "language", "linguist", and "bilingual", so "omnilingual" sits in a family of words that all turn on the idea of the tongue. The "omni-" half carries the sense of totality, so the whole word simply stacks "all" onto "tongue".

Synonyms: multilingual, polyglot, bilingual, versed, fluent

Antonyms: monolingual, illiterate, uneducated, ignorant, limited