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

By contrast, Malone and Wallen just seem to be drawing on their own lingua franca. —Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 11 June 2024

National security police questioned Chan about an essay contest the group hosted three years earlier for literature composed in Cantonese, the lingua franca of Hong Kong. —Gina Anne Tam, Foreign Affairs, 19 Sep. 2023

Even in Ghana, where the lingua franca is English, knowing how to use smartphones and apps can be a challenge for newcomers. —Francis Kokutse, Fortune, 20 May 2024

By then, though, the Biennale will be back, and Venice will fill with new rumbling, the lingua franca of the contemporary art world: part purr, part groan, part long, uncertain hmmm. —Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 2 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Italian, literally, Frankish language

First Known Use

1619, in the meaning defined at sense 1