As in 'lingua franca,' a common language used for communication between speakers of different native languages. A bridge language for trade or diplomacy.
From Italian 'lingua franca' literally meaning 'Frankish language,' originally referring to a pidgin language used in Mediterranean trade. 'Frank' was a general term Arabs used for Europeans, so 'lingua franca' meant the language of European traders.
The original lingua franca was a mixture of Italian, Spanish, French, Greek, Arabic, and Turkish used by merchants around the Mediterranean from the Middle Ages to the 19th century. Today, English serves as the global lingua franca, facilitating international communication just as that polyglot trade language once did.
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