English Reference
Noun

esprit

n.
C1 Advanced US /ɛsˈpɹi/ UK /ɛspɹˈɪt/ es·prit

n.a feeling of pride and confidence in a group or organization. It is the spirit that makes people want to work hard and support each other.

n.a spirit of pride, confidence, and enthusiasm within a group or organization. Often used to describe the collective morale or sense of purpose that drives a team.


SIMPLE

The team has a great esprit de corps.

CONTEXTUAL

The manager worked hard to build an esprit de corps among the staff to improve their overall performance.

COMPLEX

A strong sense of esprit de corps can be the difference between a group of individuals working in isolation and a cohesive unit capable of achieving complex objectives.


Borrowed from French esprit (“spirit”). Doublet of spirit, spiritus, spirytus, sprite, and spright, possibly also spree.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin French esprit
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Occasional
Updated