A lingua franca is a language or way of communicating which is used between people who do not speak one another's native language.
[formal]
English is rapidly becoming the lingua franca of Asia.
lingua franca in British English
(ˈlɪŋɡwə ˈfræŋkə)
nounWord forms: plurallingua francas or linguae francae (ˈlɪŋɡwiː ˈfrænsiː)
1.
a language used for communication among people of different mother tongues
2.
a hybrid language containing elements from several different languages used in this way
3.
any system of communication providing mutual understanding
Word origin
C17: Italian, literally: Frankish tongue
Lingua Franca in British English
noun
a particular lingua franca spoken from the time of the Crusades to the 18th century in the ports of the Mediterranean, based on Italian, Spanish, French, Arabic, Greek, and Turkish
lingua franca in American English
(ˈlɪŋgwə ˈfræŋkə)
Word forms: pluralˈlingua ˈfrancas or ˈlinguae ˈfrancae (ˈlɪŋgwi ˈfrænsi)
1.
a hybrid language based on Italian, with Spanish, French, Greek, and Arabic elements,spoken, esp. formerly, in certain Mediterranean ports
2.
a language used for communication between different peoples, as English or Swahili; specif., a hybrid language used for this purpose, as pidgin English
3.
something that is like a common language
Word origin
It, lit., Frankish language
Examples of 'lingua franca' in a sentence
lingua franca
English is the lingua franca of the world.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
And nowhere else is football the lingua franca that it is in Africa.