Polyglotted

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Having expertise in several distinct languages
2. A person who demonstrates fluency across multiple languages
3. Able to speak, read, or write several languages proficiently ; an individual who communicates fluently in various tongues

Etymology: Ancient Greek "polyglottos" meant "many-tongued," built from "polys" (many) and "glōtta" (tongue). Greek used the same root, "glōssa," for both "tongue" and "language," which is why English words such as "gloss," "glossary," and "glottis" are related to "polyglot," even though they look unconnected. English took the Greek compound through the scholarly Latin and French of early modern Europe, where "polyglot" first described books printed in several languages, such as multilingual Bibles, before it came to describe people. The "-ed" ending makes this form an adjective describing someone who has been made or become fluent in many languages.

Synonyms: multilingual, bilingual