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

Derived 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.

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026

Esperanto failed to catch on, either as a universal second language or as the preferred communication of Interpol.

From Salon • Aug. 6, 2022

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

In the tweet, Trump quoted “Mark Esperanto, Secretary of Defense, ‘The ceasefire is holding up very nicely.

From Slate • Oct. 20, 2019

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

From "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho

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