Where does “bilingual” come from?
bilingual (English) comes from Latin bilinguis, from Latin lingua, from Latin -ula, from Proto-Indo-European -tlom, from Proto-Indo-European -trom, from Proto-Indo-European -tḗr — Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone...
bilingual (English): Having the ability to speak two languages; Spoken...
Definitions
- Having the ability to speak two languages; Spoken...
Ancestry of “bilingual”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | bilinguis | Double-tongued, two-tongued; speaking two... |
| 2 | Latin | lingua | tongue; a speech; an utterance or expression |
| 3 | Latin | -ula | regō + API → rēgula; tegō + API → tēgula;... |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | -tlom | Alternative form of *-trom |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -trom | Forms nouns denoting a tool or instrument |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -tḗr | Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone... |