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lingua francas
Variant of lingua franca
- a hybrid language based on Italian, with Spanish, French, Greek, and Arabic elements, spoken, esp. formerly, in certain Mediterranean ports
- a language used for communication between different peoples, as English or Swahili; specif., a hybrid language used for this purpose, as pidgin English
- something that is like a common language
Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.