-ˈfraŋkə noun
( plural lingua francas -kəz ; or linguae fran·cae -anˌsē)
Etymology: Italian, literally, Frankish language
1. : a common language that consists of Italian mixed with French, Spanish, Greek, and Arabic and is spoken in the ports of the Mediterranean — compare sabir
2. : any of various hybrid or other languages that are used over a wide area as common or commercial tongues among peoples of diverse speech (as Hindustani, Swahili) — compare jargon 2c, koine , pidgin
3. : something (as a system of common interests or social symbols) that functions like a common language in making individuals comprehensible to one another
some tradition where a lingua franca of symbols, dogma, style, and learning survives — Stephen Spender