Polycultural

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Involving the simultaneous presence and interaction of diverse cultural groups within a single society
2. Relating to a social environment where multiple cultural heritages blend and coexist harmoniously
3. Involving the coexistence and engagement of various cultural traditions within a shared community

Etymology: Polycultural is a plain English compound, built from two parts that each have long histories of their own. The first part, "poly-", comes from the Greek "polus", meaning "many" or "much", and it has been a productive combining form in English for a long time. The second part, "culture", traces back through Middle French to the Latin "cultura", from "colere", meaning "to tend, cultivate or inhabit". The Latin sense of tending land is still visible in the word's agricultural senses, which predate its use for the customs and arts of a people. The adjective is formed by adding the suffix "-al" to the noun "polyculture" or directly to "culture" and "poly-", so "polycultural" describes something that involves many cultures together. The suffix "-al" itself comes from Latin "-alis", which turned up in English through Old French.

Synonyms: multicultural, diverse

Antonyms: monocultural