Esplanade
/ˌɛs.pləˈnɑːd/noun
A broad, open, level area, often for walking along a waterfront or beside a road.
Did you know?Esplanade comes through French from Italian *spianata*, ultimately from Latin *explanare*, meaning “to make level or smooth,” so the word’s oldest energy is literally about flattening the land.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*plā-
“to spread, flatten”
Latin
Latin
planus
“flat, level, even”
Latin
Latin
explanāre
“to make level, smooth out; later, to explain clearly”
Italian
Italian
spianata
“a leveled place; a flat surface”
French
Old French
esplanade
“a wide, level open space, especially near a fortress”
English
English
esplanade
“a broad, open, level area for walking”