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

But Bakewell sees the dream of a universal language, and Zamenhof’s less well-known effort to create a universal religion called “Homaranismo” — Esperanto for “humanism” — as connected with the centuries-long humanist project.

From New York Times • Apr. 2, 2023

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

From Salon • Aug. 6, 2022

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

From Washington Post • Mar. 20, 2022

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