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Added 8 October 2026

esplanade

/ˈɛspləˌneɪd/ noun

Latin root: explānāre Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about esplanade at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A clear space between a citadel and the nearest houses of the town.
The glacis of the counterscarp, or the slope of the parapet of the covered way toward the country.
A grass plat; a lawn.

Origin

1590s, from French esplanade (“clear, level space”), from either Spanish esplanada (explanada), form of esplanar (“to flatten, to make level”) or Italian spianata, form of spianare (of the same meaning), both from Latin explānāre, from which English explain; see also plain (“level area, to flatten”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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