Esperanto

name

Etymology: A learned borrowing from Esperanto Esperanto. Originally, this was the pseudonym assumed by the creator of the language, L. L. Zamenhof, and the language was called Lingvo Internacia (“international language”). The term first appears in the publication Science in 1892.

1. An international auxiliary language designed by L. L. Zamenhof.

   “Speakers of toki pona have formed a large online community. On Discord, the largest toki pona community claims approximately 13,000 members (as of February 1, 2024), more than the largest Na’vi community at approximately 9,600 members, the largest Interslavic community at approximately 8,000 members, or the largest Esperanto community at approximately 7,400 members.”

2. Anything that is used as a single international medium in place of plural distinct national media.

   “The U.S. dollar is the Esperanto of currency.”

   “[Compared] to the Esperanto of the Eye, [cinema], [Esperanto's] conquest of the Earth is painfully slow[.]”