polyglot

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English[edit]

WOTD – 28 October 2021

Etymology[edit]

PIE word
*glōgʰs
The beginning of the Book of Genesis in the Complutensian Polyglot Bible (completed 1517), the first printed polyglot (noun sense 1) of the entire Bible. On this page, the text is in (above, left to right) Greek, Latin, and Hebrew, with (below, left to right) the text of the Targum Onkelos in Aramaic with its own Latin translation.

Borrowed from Koine Greek πολύγλωττος (polúglōttos, “speaking many languages, multilingual”), Attic Greek πολύγλωττος (polúglōttos, “many-tongued”), alternative forms of Ancient Greek πολῠ́γλωσσος (polúglōssos, “speaking many languages, multilingual”), from πολῠ́ς (polús, “a lot of, many”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₁- (“to fill”)) + Attic Greek γλῶττα (glôtta), Ancient Greek γλῶσσᾰ (glôssa, “tongue; language”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *glōgʰs (“tip of corn”)) + -ος (-os, suffix forming o-grade action nouns).[1] The English word is analysable as poly- +‎ -glot.

Noun sense 1 (“publication in several languages”) is probably derived from Late Latin polyglottus, from Koine Greek πολύγλωττος (polúglōttos): see above.[1]

Pronunciation[edit]

Adjective[edit]

polyglot (not comparable)

  1. Of a person: speaking, or versed in, many languages; multilingual.
    Synonyms: (archaic) polyglotted, polyglottic, polylingual
  2. Containing, or made up of, several languages; specifically, of a book (especially a bible): having text translated into several languages.
    Synonyms: polyglossic, polyglottal, polyglottic, (rare) polyglottish
    a polyglot bible    a polyglot lexicon
  3. Comprising various (native) linguistic groups; multilingual.
    A polyglot region without a clearly dominant culture may develop an artificial lingua franca, such as Pidgin English in the South Sea.

Alternative forms[edit]

Coordinate terms[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

Related terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

See also[edit]

Noun[edit]

polyglot (plural polyglots)

  1. A publication in several languages; specifically, a book (especially a bible) containing several versions of the same subject matter or text in several languages.
    • 1666 October 15 (date written; Gregorian calendar), Samuel Pepys, Mynors Bright, transcriber, “October 5th, 1666”, in Henry B[enjamin] Wheatley, editor, The Diary of Samuel Pepys […], volume VI, London: George Bell & Sons […]; Cambridge: Deighton Bell & Co., published 1895, →OCLC, page 7:
      [T]hose coming to the warehouses' doors fired them, and burned all the books and the pillars of the church, […] A great want thereof there will be of books, specially Latin books and foreign books; and, among others, the Polyglottes and new Bible, which he believes will be presently worth £40 a-piece.
    • 1792, William Newcome, “Arguments Shewing that an Improved Version of the Bible is Expedient”, in An Historical View of the English Biblical Translations: The Expediency of Revising by Authority our Present Translation: And the Means of Executing Such a Revision, Dublin: […] John Exshaw, →OCLC, page 239:
      But ſince that period the biblical apparatus has been much enriched by the publication of polyglots; […]
  2. (also figuratively) One who has mastered (especially when able to speak) several languages.
    Synonyms: multilinguist, (both rare) polyglotter, polyglottist, polylinguist
  3. (also figuratively) A mixture of languages or nomenclatures.
  4. (computing)
    1. A file that can be interpreted validly as multiple formats.
      • 2015, Joxean Koret, Elias Bachaalany, “Evading Scanners”, in The Antivirus Hacker’s Handbook, Indianapolis, Ind.: John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, part II (Antivirus Software Evasion), page 148:
        If you are interested in polyglot file formats, take a look at the polyglot web page in the Corkami wiki. There are various example polyglots, including a PDF file that is also a valid HTML file with JavaScript, as well as a valid Windows PE executable.
    2. (programming) A program written to be valid in multiple programming languages.
  5. (obsolete) A bird able to imitate the sounds of other birds.

Alternative forms[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

References[edit]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Compare “polyglot, adj. and n.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, December 2020; “polyglot, adj. and n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Further reading[edit]

Czech[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

polyglot m anim

  1. (person): a polyglot

Declension[edit]

Declension of polyglot (hard masculine animate)
singular plural
nominative polyglot polygloti, polyglotové
genitive polyglota polyglotů
dative polyglotovi, polyglotu polyglotům
accusative polyglota polygloty
vocative polyglote polygloti, polyglotové
locative polyglotovi, polyglotu polyglotech
instrumental polyglotem polygloty

Dutch[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from French polyglotte, from Ancient Greek πολύγλωττος (polúglōttos, “many-tongued, polyglot”), from πολύς (polús, “many”) + γλῶττα (glôtta, “tongue, language”) (Attic variant of γλῶσσα (glôssa)).

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /ˌpoː.liˈɣlɔt/
  • Audio(file)
  • Hyphenation: po‧ly‧glot
  • Rhymes: -ɔt

Noun[edit]

polyglot m or f (plural polyglotten, diminutive polyglotje n, feminine polyglotte)

  1. A polyglot, one who has mastered several languages.
  2. A publication with an original texts along with translations in several languages; especially of a version of the Bible.

Alternative forms[edit]

  • (polyglot publication): polyglotte (archaic in the other sense)

Synonyms[edit]

(person; publication):

Derived terms[edit]

Descendants[edit]

  • Afrikaans: poliglot

Adjective[edit]

polyglot (not comparable)

  1. (rare) polyglot
    Synonym: polyglottisch

Inflection[edit]

Inflection of polyglot
uninflected polyglot
inflected polyglotte
comparative —
positive
predicative/adverbial polyglot
indefinite m./f. sing. polyglotte
n. sing. polyglot
plural polyglotte
definite polyglotte
partitive polyglots
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