Dictionary

unilingual en · ADJ

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ís? Proto-Indo-European *h₁óynos Proto-Italic *oinos Old Latin oinos Latin ūnus Latin ūni-der. English uni- Proto-Indo-European *dn̥ǵʰwéh₂s Proto-Italic *dn̥ɣwā Latin dingua Latin lingua Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- Proto-Indo-European *-is Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālis Latin linguālislbor. English lingual English unilingual From uni- + lingual.

Meanings

1. (not-comparable) Knowing or using a single language.
   • If you're black you've had to improvise communication with unilingual whites, she'd probably easily acquire this ancient one, too. 2012, Nadine Gordimer, No Time Like the Present, Bloomsbury, published 2013, page 46:

Antonyms

plurilingual · multilingual

Deriveds

unilingually · unilingualism · unilingualist

Synonyms

monolingual

unilingual en · NOUN

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ís? Proto-Indo-European *h₁óynos Proto-Italic *oinos Old Latin oinos Latin ūnus Latin ūni-der. English uni- Proto-Indo-European *dn̥ǵʰwéh₂s Proto-Italic *dn̥ɣwā Latin dingua Latin lingua Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- Proto-Indo-European *-is Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālis Latin linguālislbor. English lingual English unilingual From uni- + lingual.

Meanings

1. A person who understands only one language.

Forms