Esperanto

American  

[es-puh-rahn-toh, -ran-] / ˌɛs pəˈrɑn toʊ, -ˈræn- /

noun

1. 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.

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Esperanto British  

/ ˌɛspəˈræntəʊ /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

• Esperantism noun
• Esperantist noun

Etymology

Origin of Esperanto

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

Example Sentences

Last fall, Mr. Trump misspelled his defense secretary’s name in a tweet, referring to him as Mark Esperanto.

From New York Times • Jun. 5, 2020

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

In his first version of the tweet, the president typed Mark Esper’s name as Mark Esperanto.

From The Guardian • Oct. 20, 2019

Nineteenth century idealists created international languages they hoped would unite the world, though only Esperanto is spoken by more than a handful of people today.

From Washington Post • May 16, 2019

He knew how to speak Esperanto, he understood all the major religions well, but he wasn’t yet an alchemist.

From "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho