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

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026

A standing credit line in renminbi is the financial equivalent of fluency in Esperanto.

From Washington Post • Mar. 20, 2022

Esperanto, the language of the future, never managed to become an official language in any country.

From New York Times • Sep. 14, 2021

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

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