Etymology Explorer › English

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

  1. Having the ability to speak two languages; Spoken...

Ancestry of “bilingual”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1LatinbilinguisDouble-tongued, two-tongued; speaking two...
2Latinlinguatongue; a speech; an utterance or expression
3Latin-ularegō + API → rēgula; tegō + API → tēgula;...
4Proto-Indo-European-tlomAlternative form of *-trom
5Proto-Indo-European-tromForms nouns denoting a tool or instrument
6Proto-Indo-European-tḗrDerives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone...

Words derived from “bilingual”

  • bilingualism
  • bilingually
  • bilinguality
  • nonbilingual
  • bilingualize
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -tḗr →