Meanings
esparto1
plural espartos
- Either of two species of perennial grasses used for fibre production, and for making paper:
- countableuncountableStipa tenacissima, of North Africa.
Synonyms: halfa, esparto grass, halfah grass, needlegrass
- countableuncountableLygeum spartum, of the Mediterranean.
Synonyms: albardine, esparto grass, cord grass
Esparto2
- A census-designated place in Yolo County, California, United States.
Seven were missing after the Tuesday fireworks explosion near Esparto, which gripped the small farming community.
2025 July 4, “Human remains located after California fireworks warehouse explosion”, in CNN, sourced from Associated Press, archived from the original on 28 Jan 2026
Synonyms & antonyms
nounStipa tenacissima, of North Africa.
nounLygeum spartum, of the Mediterranean.
Origin
esparto · noun
- Ancient Greekσπάρτον“rope, cable; esparto or halfah grass”
- Latinspartum
- Spanishesparto
- Englishesparto
From Spanish esparto, via Latin spartum from Ancient Greek σπάρτον (spárton, “rope, cable; esparto or halfah grass”), valued for its high tensile strength, used for cords and wicker, and exported by Spanish Greek colonies throughout the Mediterranian.
More words from Spanish, Latin, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Esparto · proper noun
- Spanishesparto
- EnglishEsparto
Borrowed from Spanish esparto.
More words from Spanish
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ἀμπελόδεσμος
- ἀμπελόδεσμος (ampelódesmos)species of North African grass
Arabic حَلْفَاء
- حَلْفَاء (ḥalfāʔ)species of North African grass
Bulgarian алфа
- алфа (alfa)species of North African grass
Catalan espart
- espartspecies of North African grass
Chinese Mandarin 茅草
- 茅草 (máocǎo)species of North African grass
Danish espartogræs, alfagræs
- espartogræsspecies of North African grass
- alfagræsspecies of North African grass
Esperanto esparto
- espartospecies of North African grass
French alfa
- alfaspecies of North African grass
German Halfagras
- Halfagrasspecies of North African grass
Irish alfa
- alfaspecies of North African grass
Italian alfa
- alfaspecies of North African grass
Japanese アフリカハネガヤ
- アフリカハネガヤspecies of North African grass
Latin spartum
- spartumspecies of North African grass
Norwegian Bokmål alfa, alfagress
- alfaspecies of North African grass
- alfagressspecies of North African grass
- alfagrasspecies of North African grass
Portuguese esparto
- espartospecies of North African grass
Romanian alfa
- alfaspecies of North African grass
Russian эспарто
- эспарто (esparto)species of North African grass
Spanish esparto
- espartospecies of North African grass
Swedish espartogräs
- espartogrässpecies of North African grass
Turkish halfa
- halfaspecies of North African grass
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
esparto. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/esparto
“esparto.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/esparto. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “esparto,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/esparto.
Source: esparto on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.