lingua franca Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a common language used by speakers of different languages
    interlanguage; koine.
    • Koine is a dialect of ancient Greek that was the lingua franca of the empire of Alexander the Great and was widely spoken throughout the eastern Mediterranean area in Roman times

WordNet


Lin"gua Fran"ca
Etymology
It., prop., language of the Franks.
Definitions
  1. The commercial language of the Levant, -- a mixture of the language of the people of the region and foreign traders.

Webster 1913