Synonyms

Esperanto

American

[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.

Esperanto British

/ ˌɛspəˈræntəʊ /

noun

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

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of Esperanto

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Esperanto

Within a single page Mr. Hahn can hop from Esperanto to Turkish to Hindi.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 22, 2026

But at one point, she thought she might need to supplement her French, Italian and German sources with some Esperanto.

From New York Times ● Apr. 2, 2023

Real, but not: “Conlangs,” or constructed languages, have been around for decades—like Klingon, Sindarin, and Esperanto.

From Slate ● Oct. 30, 2019

That last tweet originally gave the defense secretary's last name as "Esperanto," sparking no end of humor on social media.

From Salon ● Oct. 21, 2019

First he had studied Esperanto, then the world’s religions, and now it was alchemy.

From "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023