lingua franca

[frang-kuh] /ˈfræŋ kə/
noun, plural lingua francas, linguae francae
[ling-gwee fran-see] /ˈlɪŋ gwi ˈfræn si/ (Show IPA)
1.
any language that is widely used as a means of communication among speakers of other languages.
2.
(initial capital letter) the Italian-Provençal jargon (with elements of Spanish, French, Greek, Arabic, and Turkish) formerly widely used in eastern Mediterranean ports.
Origin
1670-80; < Italian: literally, Frankish tongue
Examples from the web for lingua franca
  • But researchers have recently found that clicks are far more prevalent in the world's lingua franca than had been thought.
  • It isn't music or movies or pizza that is the lingua franca of the globe.
  • It is also, however, exposing a long-term shortage of local university graduates fluent in the world's lingua franca.
  • Memoirs about language-learning reflect the fear of a world flattened by the new lingua franca.
British Dictionary definitions for lingua franca

lingua franca

/ˈlɪŋɡwə ˈfræŋkə/
noun (pl) lingua francas, linguae francae (ˈlɪŋɡwiː ˈfrænsiː)
1.
a language used for communication among people of different mother tongues
2.
a hybrid language containing elements from several different languages used in this way
3.
any system of communication providing mutual understanding
Word Origin
C17: Italian, literally: Frankish tongue

Lingua Franca

noun
1.
a particular lingua franca spoken from the time of the Crusades to the 18th century in the ports of the Mediterranean, based on Italian, Spanish, French, Arabic, Greek, and Turkish
Word Origin and History for lingua franca
n.

1620s, from Italian, literally "Frankish tongue." Originally a form of communication used in the Levant, a stripped-down Italian peppered with Spanish, French, Greek, Arabic, and Turkish words. The name is probably from the Arabic custom, dating back to the Crusades, of calling all Europeans Franks (see Frank). Sometimes in 17c. English sources also known as Bastard Spanish.