Hypertext Webster Gateway: "Esplanade"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Esplanade \Es`pla*nade"\, n. [F. esplanade, Sp. esplanada,
explanada, cf. It. spianata; fr. Sp. explanar to level, L.
explanare to flatten or spread out. See {Explain}.]
1. (Fort.)
(a) A clear space between a citadel and the nearest houses
of the town. --Campbell (Mil. Dict. ).
(b) The glacis of the counterscarp, or the slope of the
parapet of the covered way toward the country.
2. (Hort.) A grass plat; a lawn. --Simmonds.
3. Any clear, level space used for public walks or drives;
esp., a terrace by the seaside.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
esplanade
n : a long stretch of open level ground (paved or grassy) for
walking beside the seashore
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