Where does “esperanto” come from?
esperanto (Norwegian Nynorsk) comes from Esperanto Esperanto, from Esperanto esperi, from Portuguese esperar, from Old Portuguese asperar, from Old Spanish esperar, from Latin spērō, from Latin spes, from Proto-Italic spēs — to succeed, to prosper.
esperanto (Norwegian Nynorsk): Esperanto
Ancestry of “esperanto”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Esperanto | Esperanto | Esperanto; one who hopes |
| 2 | Esperanto | esperi | to hope |
| 3 | Portuguese | esperar | to wait; to hope; to expect; to anticipate |
| 4 | Old Portuguese | asperar | — |
| 5 | Old Spanish | esperar | — |
| 6 | Latin | spērō | — |
| 7 | Latin | spes | hope; expectation, anticipation, apprehension |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | spēs | hope |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | spéh₁s | prosperity, success |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | speh₁- | to succeed, to prosper |