Translation
post office (the building)
Word origin
An Esperanto compound of poŝto, the post, and oficejo, an office. Poŝto comes through Italian posta from Latin posita, a station where relay horses were placed; oficejo is Latin officium plus the place suffix -ej-.
- Origin
- Esperanto, on Latin roots
- Root
- poŝto + oficejo
- English cognates
- post, office
Examples
.
I am going to the post office to send a letter.
.
The post office is closed today.
?
Did you buy the stamps at the post office?
Two words, one o. is poŝto plus
oficejo, and the join eats a vowel. Esperanto
compounds by putting the modifying root in front, usually bare: poŝt- plus
. You may keep the linking -o- when it helps pronunciation, but here
already begins with o, so is what everyone writes and
poŝtooficejo is not. The
compounding article works through when the
vowel stays and when it goes.
Three roots deep, and all of them yours. Take the second half apart again
and the pattern shows: - is a duty or a post in the sense of a job,
-- is the place suffix that gave you , and o, so
is the place where the duty is done. Then poŝt- names which duty.
Nothing here needed a dictionary.
alone often does the job. In speech, is
ordinary and means exactly the same errand, the way English says going to the
post in some dialects and going to the post office in others.
is the fuller, more official form: it is what appears on a sign,
in an address, and in a timetable of opening hours.
Neighbouring vocabulary. A poŝtmarko is a
postage stamp, a o the postman, a poŝtkesto the letter box, and a
a postcard. All of them compound on the same first root, which is
why learning was worth more than one word.
Where this fits
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poŝtoficejo: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Esperanto word "poŝtoficejo" (post office (the building)): 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 part of lesson 55.