esprit de corps

English

WOTD – 3 March 2009

Etymology

Borrowing from French esprit de corps, from esprit (“spirit”) + de (“of”) + corps (“body”)

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ɛˌspɹiː də ˈkɔː/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ɛˌspɹi də ˈkɔɹ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

esprit de corps (uncountable)

1. (idiomatic) A shared spirit of comradeship, enthusiasm, and devotion to a cause among the members of a group, for example of a military unit.

Synonyms

• (shared spirit): morale, team spirit

Translations

shared spirit of comradeship, enthusiasm, and devotion

• Czech: pocit sounáležitosti m
• Finnish: yhteishenki
• French: esprit de corps (fr)
• Malay: esprit de corps

• Norwegian: korpsånd m
• Polish: poczucie solidarności
• Portuguese: espírito de equipe m
• Russian: кома́ндный дух m (komándnyj dux)

References

• esprit in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913

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French

Etymology

esprit (“spirit”) + de (“of”) + corps (“group, body”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛs.pʁi d(ə) kɔʁ/

Noun

esprit de corps m (uncountable)

1. literally, the "spirit of the group." The common spirit.