Esperanto

[ es-puh-rahn-toh, -ran- ]

/ ˌɛs pəˈrɑn toʊ, -ˈræn- /

noun

an artificial language invented in 1887 by L. L. Zamenhof (1859–1917), a Polish physician and philologist, and intended for international use. It is based on word roots common to the major European languages.

RELATED WORDS

sign, Ameslan

Origin of Esperanto

1890–95; orig. pseudonym of inventor; literally, the hoping one. See esperance

Related formsEs·pe·ran·tism, nounEs·pe·ran·tist, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for esperanto

And Mangum swears that his knowledge of Esperanto better prepared him to learn Spanish.
Do You Speak Klingon?|Stephen Brown|June 14, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Esperanto fell well short of Zamenhof's goal of a universal second language, but it was not a complete failure.
Do You Speak Klingon?|Stephen Brown|June 14, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Nowhere is this pipe dream more obvious than in the history of Esperanto, one of the world's most well-known invented languages.
Do You Speak Klingon?|Stephen Brown|June 14, 2009|DAILY BEAST
To this day, many Esperanto enthusiasts, including Doug Mangum of Greensboro, N.C., share in this frustration.
Do You Speak Klingon?|Stephen Brown|June 14, 2009|DAILY BEAST

A few words as to the origin of Esperanto will perhaps not be out of place here.
The Esperanto Teacher|Helen Fryer
He said, "I think Esperanto is a very good movement, and I hope it will succeed."
International Language|Walter J. Clark
It is anticipated that the language chosen will be Esperanto.
International Language|Walter J. Clark
They may not be spelled the same or pronounced the same, but they are international, and therefore they are Esperanto.
Esperanto: Hearings before the Committee on Education|Richard Bartholdt and A. Christen
In Esperanto the suffix -iĝ- , or a different root, must be used when an intransitive meaning is desired.
A Complete Grammar of Esperanto|Ivy Kellerman Reed

British Dictionary definitions for esperanto

Esperanto

/ (ˌɛspəˈræntəʊ) /

noun

an international artificial language based on words common to the chief European languages, invented in 1887

Derived FormsEsperantist, noun, adjective

Word Origin for Esperanto

C19: literally: the one who hopes, pseudonym of Dr. L. L. Zamenhof, who invented it

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for esperanto

Esperanto

1892, from Doktoro Esperanto, whose name means in Esperanto, "one who hopes," pen name used on the title page of a book about the artificial would-be universal language published 1887 by its inventor, Lazarus Ludwig Zamenhof (1859-1917). Cf. Spanish esperanza "hope," from esperar, from Latin sperare (see speed (n.)).

Esperanto

noun

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Origin of Esperanto

Examples from the Web for esperanto

British Dictionary definitions for esperanto

Esperanto

noun

Word Origin for Esperanto

Word Origin and History for esperanto

Esperanto