lingua franca

noun

lin·​gua fran·​ca ˈliŋ-gwə-ˈfraŋ-kə 

plural lingua francas or linguae francae ˈliŋ-gwē-ˈfraŋ-(ˌ)kē 

1

often capitalized : a common language consisting of Italian mixed with French, Spanish, Greek, and Arabic that was formerly spoken in Mediterranean ports

2

: any of various languages used as common or commercial tongues among peoples of diverse speech

English is used as a lingua franca among many airline pilots.

3

: something resembling a common language

movies are the lingua franca of the twentieth century

—Gore Vidal

Did you know?

In the Middle Ages, the Arabs of the eastern Mediterranean referred to all Europeans as Franks (the name of the tribe that once occupied the land we call France). Since there was plenty of Arab-European trade, the traders in the Mediterranean ports eventually developed a trading language combining Italian, Arabic, and other languages, which almost everyone could more or less understand, and it became known as the "Frankish language", or lingua franca. Some languages actually succeed in becoming lingua francas without changing much. So, when the Roman empire became vast and mighty, Latin became the important lingua franca; and at a meeting between Japanese and Vietnamese businesspeople today, English may well be the only language spoken.

Examples of lingua franca in a Sentence

English is used as a lingua franca among many airline pilots.

Recent Examples on the Web

An eagerness for conflict is of course a defining feature of social-media discourse, insult and aggression its lingua franca. —Christine Emba, The Atlantic, 13 Sep. 2024

Snyder’s Millennial answer to Star Wars reflects the succeeding generation’s skepticism about sociopolitical supremacy — via the comic-book movie/video-game fantasy that has become lingua franca. —Armond White, National Review, 9 Aug. 2024

Binary, our digital lingua franca, represents numbers using only the two digits zero and 1. —Quanta Magazine, 9 Aug. 2024

Martínez and Hernández are committed to keeping the Italian American classics going, even as Spanish increasingly has become the lingua franca of this kitchen. —Ahmed Ali Akbar, Chicago Tribune, 30 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Italian, literally, Frankish language

First Known Use

1619, in the meaning defined at sense 1