What does esperanto mean?

Esperanto means "hope" or "hopeful" in the language itself. It's a constructed language created by L.L. Zamenhof in the late 19th century with the goal of becoming a universal second language to promote peace and understanding between people of different cultures.

The word "Esperanto" comes from the pseudonym "Dr. Esperanto," which Zamenhof used when publishing his first book on the language. This pseudonym literally means "one who hopes" in Esperanto, reflecting Zamenhof's idealistic hope for a better world through shared language.