vorto

Esperanto

Etymology

Borrowed from English word, German Wort (“word”) and Yiddish וואָרט (vort). First attested in 1887.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈvorto/

• Audio 1:

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• Audio 2:

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• Audio 3:

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• Audio 4:

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• Rhymes: -orto
• Syllabification: vor‧to

Noun

vorto (accusative singular vorton, plural vortoj, accusative plural vortojn)

2. (semantics) word (a small group of letters or sounds that can express meaning by itself)

   Synonym: termino

   Hyponyms: adjektivo (“adjective”), adverbo (“adverb”), substantivo (“noun”), verbo (“verb”)

   Holonym: vortaro (“dicitonary”)

   • 1910, L. L. Zamenhof, Proverbaro Esperanta‎^[1]:

     Por virta orelo ne danĝeras vorto malbela.

     To a virtuous ear, an ugly word holds no danger.

   • 2025 September 29, Jorge Nogueras, “La plej mallonga tago”, in uea.facila‎^[2], archived from the original on 12 December 2025:

     Ne estas spaco en mikronovelo por senutilaj vortoj.

     There is not space in a micro-novelette for useless words.

4. promise, word (a verbal commitment)
   • 1910, L. L. Zamenhof, Proverbaro Esperanta‎^[3]:

     Estu sinjoro de via vorto.

     Be a man of your word.

6. (computing) word

Derived terms

adjectives

• laŭvorta (“word-for-word”)
• vorta (“verbal”)

adverbs

• alivorte (“in other words”)
• laŭvorte (“literally”)
• vorte (“verbally”)

nouns

• a-vorto (“adjective”)
• ĉefvorto (“keyword”)
• kapvorto (“headword, lemma”)
• o-vorto (“noun”)
• pasvorto (“password”)
• salutvorto (“word of greeting”)
• vortprovizo (“vocabulary”)

verbs

• vortigi (“verbalize”)
• vortumi (“verbalize”)

References

Sense 1

• PIV (2020), line 1: “vorto”
• RV (1997), line 1: “vorto”
• Grosjean (1980), page 509, line 1: “vorto”
• Bein (1922), page 174: “vorto”
• Wells (1992), page 416: “word”
• Benson (1995), page 585: “word”
• Butler (1967), page 440, line 1: “vort-o”
• Millidge (1913), page 478: “vort-o”
• Motteau (1907), page 167: “vort-o”
• Denisowski (2011), “vorto”

Sense 2

• PIV (2020), line 5: “vorto”
• RV (1997), line 2: “vorto”
• Grosjean (1980), page 509, line 4: “vorto”
• Butler (1967), page 440, line 3: “vort-o”

Sense 3

• PIV (2020), line 6: “vorto”
• RV (1997), line 3: “vorto”

Further reading

• vorto (semantics) on Wikidata.Wikidata

Grammatical texts

• Kalocsay & Waringhien (1985), §Difino de la vorto page 53, §Vortospecoj page 53-54

Monolingual dictionaries

• PIV (2020), “vorto”
• RV (1997), “vorto”
• Grosjean (1980), page 509: “vorto”
• Eichholz (1988), page 448, line 8: “vorto”
• Benson (1932), page 534: “vort-o”

Multilingual dictionaries

• Butler (1967), page 440: “vort-o”

Ido

Etymology

Borrowed from Esperanto vorto, English word, German Wort, from Proto-Germanic *wurdą, from Proto-Indo-European *werdʰo-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈvɔr.to/
• Hyphenation: vor‧to

Noun

vorto (plural vorti)

1. word

Derived terms

• pasovorto (“password”)
• vortala (“verbal”)
• vortale (“verbally”)
• vortaro (“collection of words; vocabulary”)
• vortifar (“to build words”)
• vortifo (“word building”)
• vortolibro (“dictionary, wordbook”)
• vortoludo (“word play, play on words”)
• vortopa (“verbatim, word for word, literal (translation)”)
• vortope (“verbatim, word for word, literal (translation)”)

Further reading

• vort-o in Ido-English Dictionary by L.H. Dyer, 1924

Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *wertō, from Proto-Indo-European *wert-

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈwɔr.toː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈvɔr.to]

Verb

vortō (present infinitive vortere, perfect active vortī, supine vorsum); third conjugation

1. alternative form of vertō
   • c. 186 BCE, Plautus, Aulularia 2.2.40–42:

     Quoniam tu me et ego te qualis sis scio, quae res recte vortat mihique tibique tuaeque filiae, filiam tuam mi uxorem posco. promitte hoc fore.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Conjugation

   Conjugation of vortō (third conjugation)

indicative		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	vortō		vortis		vortit		vortimus		vortitis		vortunt
	imperfect	vortēbam		vortēbās		vortēbat		vortēbāmus		vortēbātis		vortēbant
	future	vortam		vortēs		vortet		vortēmus		vortētis		vortent
	perfect	vortī		vortistī		vortit		vortimus		vortistis		vortērunt, vortēre
	pluperfect	vorteram		vorterās		vorterat		vorterāmus		vorterātis		vorterant
	future perfect	vorterō		vorteris		vorterit		vorterimus		vorteritis		vorterint
passive	present	vortor		vorteris, vortere		vortitur		vortimur		vortiminī		vortuntur
	imperfect	vortēbar		vortēbāris, vortēbāre		vortēbātur		vortēbāmur		vortēbāminī		vortēbantur
	future	vortar		vortēris, vortēre		vortētur		vortēmur		vortēminī		vortentur
	perfect	vorsus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	vorsus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	vorsus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	vortam		vortās		vortat		vortāmus		vortātis		vortant
	imperfect	vorterem		vorterēs		vorteret		vorterēmus		vorterētis		vorterent
	perfect	vorterim		vorterīs		vorterit		vorterīmus		vorterītis		vorterint
	pluperfect	vortissem		vortissēs		vortisset		vortissēmus		vortissētis		vortissent
passive	present	vortar		vortāris, vortāre		vortātur		vortāmur		vortāminī		vortantur
	imperfect	vorterer		vorterēris, vorterēre		vorterētur		vorterēmur		vorterēminī		vorterentur
	perfect	vorsus + present active subjunctive of sum
	pluperfect	vorsus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	—		vorte		—		—		vortite		—
	future	—		vortitō		vortitō		—		vortitōte		vortuntō
passive	present	—		vortere		—		—		vortiminī		—
	future	—		vortitor		vortitor		—		—		vortuntor
non-finite forms		infinitive						participle
		active			passive			active			passive
present		vortere			vortī			vortēns			—
future		vorsūrum esse			vorsum īrī			vorsūrus			vortendus, vortundus
perfect		vortisse			vorsum esse			—			vorsus
future perfect		—			vorsum fore			—			—
perfect potential		vorsūrum fuisse			—			—			—
verbal nouns		gerund								supine
		genitive		dative		accusative		ablative		accusative		ablative
		vortendī		vortendō		vortendum		vortendō		vorsum		vorsū

References

• vorto in Georges, Karl Ernst; Georges, Heinrich (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th edition, volume 2, Hahnsche Buchhandlung
• De Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 667