/frang"keuh/ , pl. lingua francas, linguae francae /ling"gwee fran"see/ .
1. any language that is widely used as a means of communication among speakers of other languages.
2. ( cap. ) the Italian-Provençal jargon (with elements of Spanish, French, Greek, Arabic, and Turkish) formerly widely used in eastern Mediterranean ports.
[ 1670-80; ]