from
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)
lingua franca
n 1: a common language used by speakers of different languages;
"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" [syn: {lingua franca}, {interlanguage}, {koine}]
from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Lingua Franca \Lin"gua Fran"ca\ (l[i^][ng]"gw[.a]
fr[a^][ng]"k[.a]) n. [It., prop., language of the Franks.]
1. The commercial language of the Levant, -- a mixture of the
languages of the people of the region and of foreign
traders.
[1913 Webster]
2. Any hybrid or other language used over a wide area as a
common or commercial tongue among peoples of different
speech.
[Webster 1913 Suppl.]