Translation
alien, extraterrestrial
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Word origin
Built inside Esperanto from ekster, outside, plus the root of tero, earth, plus -an-, the suffix for a member or inhabitant. An inhabitant of outside the earth, assembled rather than borrowed.
- Origin
- Esperanto compound
- Root
- ekster + ter- + -an-
Examples
.
In the film the aliens arrive in a big ship.
, ?
Do you believe that aliens exist?
, .
The alien was green, small and very polite.
Decode it and the word tells its own joke: (outside, rank 335) plus - (earth, rank 178) plus -an-, the suffix for someone who belongs to a place. An inhabitant of outside-the-earth.
Esperanto did not borrow alien from anywhere. It built the word out of three pieces a learner already has in the first fortnight, which is the sort of thing the language is for. The same -an- gives you o (a townsperson), (a Christian) and (a fellow believer in the cause).
The register is science fiction and it always has been: (rank 2477) is where the eksterteranoj live. If you want the adjective, it is .
The word also carries this chapter's story, La plenluno, in which the thing moving about the garden under a full moon turns out not to be an eksterterano at all.
Where this fits
Used in
Stories
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eksterterano: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Esperanto word "eksterterano" (alien, extraterrestrial): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is taught in chapter 30, lesson 7: eksterterano, adjunkto, haĝo and 7 more words.