Phrases
War and peace in Esperanto: words for news and history
The words you need to read news and history about war and peace, plus look-alike pairs that are easy to mix up.
War in Esperanto is milito and peace is paco. A soldier is a soldato, an army an armeo and a refugee a rifuĝinto. About 80 words are grouped below by topic, followed by word-building and look-alike pairs. The words are neutral labels: the page takes no side, names no current events and follows the dictionary ReVo.
Pronunciation guides split words into syllables, with the stressed syllable in capitals. See also politics and society, law and crime and geography and the world.
Peace and diplomacy
Paco is the state of a nation that is not at war, and also harmony among people. ReVo's phrase armita paco "armed peace" means peace in which each side prepares for war.
| English | Esperanto | Pronunciation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| peace | paco | PA-co | opposite: milito |
| peaceful | paca | PA-ca | |
| to pacify, bring peace | pacigi | pa-CI-gi | -ig- "make" |
| to make peace, reconcile | paciĝi | pa-CI-ĝi | -iĝ- "become" |
| peace treaty | packontrakto | pac-kon-TRAK-to | also pactraktato |
| treaty | traktato | trak-TA-to | contract between states |
| armistice | armistico | ar-mis-TI-co | ends the fighting, but peace needs a treaty |
| agreement | interkonsento | in-ter-kon-SEN-to | verb: interkonsenti |
| to negotiate | intertrakti | in-ter-TRAK-ti | talks: intertraktado |
| diplomat | diplomato | di-plo-MA-to | |
| diplomacy | diplomatio | di-plo-ma-TI-o | official relations between states |
| ambassador | ambasadoro | am-ba-sa-DO-ro | top representative of one state in another |
| embassy | ambasadorejo | am-ba-sa-do-RE-jo | also ambasadejo |
| neutral | neŭtrala | neŭ-TRA-la | takes no side |
War and fighting
ReVo defines milito as official non-peace between nations or parties, with battles. Militi is to wage war; batali is "to fight" in general. To declare war is deklari militon.
| English | Esperanto | Pronunciation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| war | milito | mi-LI-to | |
| to be at war | militi | mi-LI-ti | militi kontraŭ "to wage war against" |
| military (adj.) | milita | mi-LI-ta | |
| battle | batalo | ba-TA-lo | to fight: batali |
| to attack | ataki | a-TA-ki | attack: atako |
| to defend | defendi | de-FEN-di | protect against attack |
| to invade | invadi | in-VA-di | enter a foreign country by force and occupy it; invado |
| victory | venko | VEN-ko | to win: venki |
| defeat | malvenko | mal-VEN-ko | to lose: malvenki |
| to surrender | kapitulaci | ka-pi-tu-LA-ci | surrender: kapitulaco |
| enemy | malamiko | ma-la-MI-ko | in war usually a side, not a person |
| front line | fronto | FRON-to | where the fighting takes place |
Armed forces
Armeo is the whole organised military force of a state, with its soldiers, officers and weapons.
| English | Esperanto | Pronunciation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| army, armed forces | armeo | ar-ME-o | |
| land forces | terarmeo | te-rar-ME-o | tero "land" |
| navy | mararmeo | ma-rar-ME-o | maro "sea" |
| air force | aerarmeo | a-e-rar-ME-o | also flugarmeo |
| soldier | soldato | sol-DA-to | usually a rankless member of the land army |
| military person | militisto | mi-li-TIS-to | fights as a profession or as a conscript |
| the military as a group | militistaro | mi-li-tis-TA-ro | |
| officer | oficiro | o-fi-CI-ro | any army leader from sub-lieutenant up |
| general | generalo | ge-ne-RA-lo | officer above colonel |
| troops | trupo, trupoj | TRU-po, TRU-poj | organised group of soldiers |
| militia | milico | mi-LI-co | see "Look-alike words" |
Weapons: the basic words
Only everyday words; more are in the dictionary.
| English | Esperanto | Pronunciation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| weapon | armilo | ar-MI-lo | any tool for attack or defence |
| gun | pafilo | pa-FI-lo | any tool for shooting; to shoot: pafi |
| bomb | bombo | BOM-bo | explosive device used as a weapon |
| tank | tanko | TAN-ko | armoured tracked vehicle |
| to arm | armi | AR-mi | armed: armita |
| to disarm | malarmi | ma-LAR-mi | mal- "opposite"; also senarmigi |
After the fighting
Rifuĝinto is rifuĝ·int·o, "one who took refuge"; the plain verb for "flee" is fuĝi. Humanitara helpo is "humanitarian aid".
| English | Esperanto | Pronunciation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| refugee | rifuĝinto | ri-fu-ĜIN-to | -int- "who did it" |
| shelter, refuge | rifuĝejo | ri-fu-ĜE-jo | -ej- "place" |
| to flee | fuĝi | FU-ĝi | flight: fuĝo |
| victim | viktimo | vik-TI-mo | one who suffers because of something |
| wounded person | vundito | vun-DI-to | vundi "to wound" + -it- "who was done to" |
| to destroy | detrui | de-TRU-i | destruction: detruo |
| ruins | ruinoj | ru-I-noj | what remains of a collapsed town |
| to rebuild | rekonstrui | re-kons-TRU-i | re- "again" + konstrui "build" |
| help, aid | helpo | HEL-po | to help: helpi |
| humanitarian | humanitara | hu-ma-ni-TA-ra | relieving human suffering, e.g. in war |
Wars in history
| English | Esperanto | Pronunciation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| world war | mondmilito | mond-mi-LI-to | involves many states worldwide |
| First World War | la unua mondmilito | la u-NU-a mond-mi-LI-to | 1914–1918; ReVo notes the dates vary by country |
| Second World War | la dua mondmilito | la DU-a mond-mi-LI-to | 1939–1945; ReVo notes the dates vary by country |
| civil war | civita milito | ci-VI-ta mi-LI-to | between citizens of one state |
| pre-war, post-war | antaŭmilita, postmilita | an-taŭ-mi-LI-ta, post-mi-LI-ta | antaŭ- "before", post- "after" |
Building words from milit- and pac-
Both are roots, so endings and affixes build whole families; see word building, suffixes and prefixes. Mal- does not give the opposite of paco: PMEG lists paco – milito as a pair without it, and malpaco means discord.
| Word | Parts | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| militisto | milit·ist·o | person who fights as a profession or conscript |
| militistaro | milit·ist·ar·o | the military as a group |
| militema | milit·em·a | inclined to war |
| kontraŭmilita | kontraŭ·milit·a | anti-war |
| militkrimo | milit·krim·o | war crime: act against the law of war |
| pacema | pac·em·a | peace-loving: favouring peace, avoiding fights |
| interpaciĝo | inter·pac·iĝ·o | reconciliation: both sides give up war or quarrel |
| pacisto | pac·ist·o | pacifist, follower of pacismo; ReVo also has the international pacifisto |
PMEG says -ist- is a person who often does something, perhaps professionally, and often a supporter of an -ismo, as in pacisto. -An- is a member of a group: armeano "army member", milicano "militia member". -Ar- makes a group: militistaro.
Words that already name a person take no -ist-; PMEG lists soldato, generalo and diplomato.
Look-alike words
| Pair | Difference |
|---|---|
| militisto / soldato | anyone who fights / usually a rankless member of the land army |
| milito / milico | war / a non-permanent, often volunteer force for defending national territory (ReVo); not the police, which is polico |
| armistico / packontrakto | ends the fighting / makes peace (ReVo) |
| negoci / intertrakti | to do business / to hold talks between sides |
| neŭtrala / neŭtra | say neŭtrala; ReVo marks neŭtra in this sense "to avoid" |
| rifuĝi / fuĝi | take shelter / run away; ReVo advises against rifuĝi for plain "flee" |
| sankcio / sankciumo | official approval / punishment for a misdeed; ReVo marks sankcio so used "to avoid" |
Sentences from the news
| Esperanto | English |
|---|---|
| La du landoj subskribis packontrakton. | The two countries signed a peace treaty. |
| La delegacioj intertraktas dum tri tagoj. | The delegations are negotiating for three days. |
| La armistico komenciĝos morgaŭ. | The armistice will begin tomorrow. |
| La soldatoj defendis la ponton. | The soldiers defended the bridge. |
| La neŭtrala lando akceptis multajn rifuĝintojn. | The neutral country took in many refugees. |
| Humanitara helpo alvenis hieraŭ. | Humanitarian aid arrived yesterday. |
| Post la milito oni rekonstruis la urbon. | After the war the town was rebuilt. |
Direct objects take -n: packontrakton, ponton, rifuĝintojn, urbon; see the accusative.
Peace in Zamenhof's writing
Peace is a theme of Zamenhof's poem La Espero (1890), which promises sanktan harmonion "holy harmony" to a world eterne militanta "forever at war"; read more about Zamenhof and about homaranismo, his idea of humanity as one family.
Common questions
How do you say "war" and "peace" in Esperanto?
Milito and paco. The adjectives are milita "military" and paca "peaceful".
What is the difference between militisto and soldato?
Militisto is anyone who fights as a profession or conscript. Soldato usually means a rankless member of the land army, though ReVo also glosses it as militisto.
How do you say "negotiations" in Esperanto?
Intertrakti is to negotiate and intertraktado the talks. Negoci means to do business.
How do you say "refugee" in Esperanto?
Rifuĝinto, from rifuĝi "to take shelter". A rifuĝejo is a place of refuge.
Sources
- ReVo, peace and diplomacy: pac-, pacifismo, pacifisto, armistico, kontrakto and packontrakto, traktato, intertrakti, interkonsento, negoci, neŭtrala, neŭtra, diplomato, diplomatio, ambasadoro
- ReVo, war and the military: milit-, soldato, armeo, oficiro, generalo, trupo, milico, fronto, batali, venki, ataki, defendi, invadi, kapitulaci, malamiko, sankcio, militkrimo
- ReVo, weapons and aftermath: armi and armilo, pafilo, bombo, tanko, rifuĝi, fuĝi, viktimo, vundi, detrui, ruino, rekonstrui, helpo, humanitara
- PMEG: IST, AN, AR, EM, MAL
- Zamenhof, La Espero, in Fundamenta Krestomatio (1903): Project Gutenberg; Vikipedio, La Espero
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