esprit de corps
1
7.9
- noun
- /ɛˈsprit də ˈkɔr/
- Formal
:
espíritu de cuerpo
- The esprit de corps among the team members motivated them to finish the project ahead of schedule.
Examples
-
Finally, every child is immensely proud, and each class develops an esprit de corps.
Academic text (1999) -
Lawyers for the city of Newark contend that the regulation is essential to the department's esprit de corps and to its professionalism.
Academic text (1998) -
The esprit de corps among the campus community gives it a sense of shared mission and destiny.
Academic text (2005) -
Party unity and esprit de corps are examples of this kind of unity.
Academic text (2002) -
Trading decisions are made quickly, and the esprit de corps is palpable.
Blog text (6) -
The number of reading groups on a campus is the best sign of the state of the faculty's esprit de corps.
Academic text (1993) -
An esprit de corps develops among the boys and makes membership in the choir an enjoyable one.
Academic text (2008) -
Hence, feelings such as esprit de corps and brotherhood play an integral part in military success.
Academic text (1993) -
Kampelman inspired a remarkable esprit de corps in the delegation.
Academic text (1990) -
An effective school is imbued with an esprit de corps in which every member feels that he or she is a valued participant in working toward meaningful goals.
Academic text (2000)
Synonyms
142
3.8
How confident and motivated a person or group feels
33
3.3
A feeling of close support and loyalty between people
8
2.4
A feeling of pride and support that helps a group work well together
3
4.9
A feeling of friendship and trust among people who spend a lot of time together
3
2.9
A feeling that makes people feel they belong and help each other
1
7.8
A strong friendship and trust that makes people help each other
Antonyms
How United
114
5.2
- Formal
1
7.9
8
2.4
443
2.5
16
7.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a French loan that literally composes as 'spirit of (the) group' — if a learner knows 'esprit' and 'corps' (and recognizes 'de' as 'of'), they can infer the general idea of group spirit or morale. However, the precise nuance of collective pride/loyalty and the fact that it is a fixed, somewhat formal idiom in English makes the meaning only partially predictable, so it is not fully transparent.
Etymology
Esprit de corps comes from French and literally links esprit ('spirit') and corps ('body'), where 'body' means a group of people like a team or unit. That's why it now means a shared pride and loyalty that helps a group work together.