Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Hope.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Hope.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun obsolete Hope.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun obsolete expectation, hope

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English esperaunce, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin *spērantia, from Latin spērāns, spērant-, present participle of spērāre, to hope; see spē- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle French esperance (cf. modern French espérance).

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Examples

  • Would Heaven I wot if Destiny mine esperance will degree!

    The Book of The Thousand Nights And A Night 2006

  • O son of Adam! what hath befooled thee in this long esperance?

    The Book of The Thousand Nights And A Night 2006

  • Fallait absolument que je fasse mon compte rendu de la journee parce que vraiment je ne peux pas dire que j'etais decu par le forum puisque je ne m'attendais pas a un truc exceptionnel mais c que la ct au dela de mes esperance mais dans l'sens inverse de la chose ...

    pinku-tk Diary Entry pinku-tk 2006

  • Robert Bruce had great veneration for Fillan, and on the eve of the battle of Bannockburn in 1314, having procured a relic of the saint to have with his army, he ".... past the remanent of the nicht in his prayaris with gud esperance of victorie."

    01/01/2003 - 02/01/2003 John 2003

  • 'To be worst,/The lowest and most dejected thing of fortune,/Stands still in esperance, lives not in fear.'

    Shakespeare Bevington, David 2002

  • The Appointment maid, all the godly war glaid; for some esperance [468] thei had, that thairby Goddis woord should somewhat bud, as in deid so it did.

    The Works of John Knox, Vol. 1 (of 6) John Knox

  • The brut of the learnyng of these two, and thare honest lyiff, and of thare fervencye and uprychtnes in religioun, was such, that great esperance thare was, that thare presence should haif bene confortable to the Kirk of God.

    The Works of John Knox, Vol. 1 (of 6) John Knox

  • And thus, after that sche be craft had obteaned hir purpoise, we departed in good esperance of hir favouris, praysing God in our hartes that sche was so weall enclyned towardes godlynes.

    The Works of John Knox, Vol. 1 (of 6) John Knox

  • Eyght, King of England, did abolishe frome his realme the name and authoritie of the Pape of Rome; suppress the Abbayis, and uther places of Idolatrie; which geve esperance to diverse realmes, that some godlye reformatioun should thairof have ensewed.

    The Works of John Knox, Vol. 1 (of 6) John Knox

  • He, a man most gentill of nature, and most addict to please hir in all thingis not repugnant to God, wret to those that then war assembled at Sanct Johnestoun, to stay, and nott to come fordwarte; schawand what promess and esperance he had of the Quenis Grace favouris.

    The Works of John Knox, Vol. 1 (of 6) John Knox

Comments

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  • (Obsolete) Expectation, hope.

    February 12, 2008