Translation
motto, slogan; foreign currency
Word origin
From French devise, which means both a motto and a foreign currency. Behind it is Old French deviser, to divide or to distinguish, from Latin dividere: a heraldic device was the distinguishing mark divided off on a shield.
- Origin
- French
- Root
- devise
- English cognates
- device, devise, divide, division
Examples
.
The school's motto is short and clear.
: .
Our motto is: peace and work.
.
The bank exchanges foreign currencies.
There is no suffix in this word. Esperanto has no -iz- to find, and dev- (must, from ) has nothing to do with it: /o is a single root borrowed from French devise, and a beginner who cuts it into must-something has been misled by a shape.
French devise carries two senses, a motto and a foreign currency, and Esperanto imported the pair rather than choosing. The link between them is older than either. Old French deviser meant to divide or distinguish, from Latin e, and a heraldic device was the mark divided off on a shield to say whose shield it was. The mark acquired words and became a motto; the mark on a bill of exchange became the money. English device and devise came down the same road from the same word.
In practice the motto sense is the one you will meet: on coats of arms, on school gates, at the top of manifestos. The currency sense lives almost entirely in banking prose, usually in the plural, .
Where this fits
Add to review queue
Track this word in your spaced-repetition queue and be tested on it at the right interval.
Go to my review queueEsperanto · Free printables
devizo: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Esperanto word "devizo" (motto, slogan; foreign currency): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
Free for members
The printable worksheets, infographics and PDFs are free with an account. Start a free week and download as many as you like.
Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 47.