esplanade
noun
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The history of "esplanade" is completely on the level. The Italians created "spianata," for a level stretch of ground, from their verb "spianare," which means "to make level." "Spianare" in turn comes from the Latin verb explanare, which also means "to make level" and which is the source of our verb "explain." Middle-French speakers borrowed "spianata" as "esplanade," and in the late 1500s we borrowed the French word. In the late 17th century, and even later, esplanades were associated with war. The word was used to refer to a clear space between a citadel and the nearest house of a town or to a slope around a fortification used for defense against attack. Today, however, esplanades are usually for enjoyment.
Examples of esplanade in a Sentence
Ben Ryder Howe, Curbed, 7 Aug. 2024
It was razed and turned into a grassy esplanade called Centennial Park.
—Ben Ryder Howe, Curbed, 7 Aug. 2024
The approximately 11-acre, concrete-laden public esplanade was designed by Modernist artist Isamu Noguchi and formally dedicated in 1979.
—Jc Reindl, Detroit Free Press, 12 Sep. 2024
On a new esplanade overlooking the canal, an odor review was solicited from a shirtless man in his thirties, a resident of an adjacent luxury condo.
—Jake Offenhartz, The New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Esplanade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/esplanade. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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esplanade
noun
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