Where does “multilingualism” come from?
Multilingualism comes from English multilingual, derived from English lingual, from Latin multi- and Latin -alis, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European mey- and dn̥ǵʰwéh₂s.
multilingualism (English): the condition of being multilingual; the ability...
Definitions
- the condition of being multilingual; the ability...
Ancestry of “multilingualism”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | multilingual | Of, relating to, or involving multiple languages;... |
| 2 | English | multi- | More than one; pertaining to more than one thing;... |
| 3 | English | multi | A multituberculate; Neolamprologus multifasciatus |
| 4 | English | multituberculate | Having molars with multiple rows of cusps; Any of... |
| 5 | English | tuberculate | Having tubercles; Tubercular |
| 6 | Latin | tuberculatus | warty, tuberculate |
| 7 | Latin | tūberculum | a small swelling, bump, or protuberance; a boil, pimple, tubercle |
| 8 | Latin | tūber | a hump, bump, swelling, protuberance; excrescence |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | tūβos | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | tewh₂- | to swell; to crowd; to be strong |