esperar
/espeˈɾaɾ/ · A1 · verb
to wait, wait
⏳ Latin sperare, to hope: same root as despair (de + sperare = hope gone)
Esperar comes from Latin sperare, to hope, the root of English despair and desperate. Spanish stretched one verb across three ideas: to hope for something, to expect it, and to wait for it. Waiting is just hoping with time added.