esprit de corps

English

WOTD – 3 March 2009

Etymology

Borrowed 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.
   • 1814 July, [Jane Austen], chapter V, in Mansfield Park: […], volume I, London: […] T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC, page 94:

     “Well done, sister! I honour your esprit du corps^[sic]. When I am a wife, I mean to be just as staunch myself; and I wish my friends in general would be so too. It would save me many a heartache.”

   • 1922 February, James Joyce, “[Episode 5: Lotus Eaters]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company, […], →OCLC, part II [Odyssey], page 71:

     Always happening like that. The very moment. Girl in Eustace street hallway Monday was it settling her garter. Her friend covering the display of. Esprit de corps. Well, what are you gaping at?

   • 1946 May and June, J. Alan Rannie, “The Midland of 35 Years Ago”, in Railway Magazine, page 135:

     Also, much depended on an exceptional esprit de corps which permeated the whole staff, and achieved miracles of promptitude in such details as engine-changing and the marshalling of trains.

Synonyms

• (shared spirit): morale, team spirit

Translations

shared spirit of comradeship, enthusiasm, and devotion — See also translations at team spirit

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 團結精神／团结精神 (tuánjié jīngshén), 集體精神／集体精神 (jítǐ jīngshén)

• Czech: pocit sounáležitosti m
• Danish: korpsånd c
• Finnish: yhteishenki
• French: esprit de corps (fr) m
• Indonesian: jiwa korsa
• Malay: esprit de corps
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: kampånd m

• Polish: poczucie solidarności
• Portuguese: espírito de equipe m
• Russian: кома́ндный дух m (komándnyj dux)
• Swedish: kåranda c

References

• “esprit”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛs.pʁi d(ə) kɔʁ/

• Audio (CAN)

  (file)

Noun

esprit de corps m (uncountable)

1. esprit de corps, spirit of the group, common spirit

See also

• esprit de clocher
• esprit d'équipe
• esprit de parti