esprit
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of esprit
1585–95; < French < Latin spīritus spirit
Explanation
Someone with esprit is full of life, joy, and vigor. Your esprit might make you a lively camp counselor or an enthusiastic teacher. The quality of being vivacious and alive, smart and witty, can be summed up in the word esprit. Esprit isn't something everyone has, but people who do are positive and fun to be around. It's a French word that's been used in English since the 16th century, literally meaning "spirit," "soul," or "mind," from the Latin root spiritus, "spirit."
Vocabulary lists containing esprit
The Picture of Dorian Gray
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Christopher Mouse
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Hearing them describe their venues’ backgrounds and esprits de corps was a moving way to acknowledge the dire times for live music without any celebrity high-horsing.
From Slate • Mar. 15, 2021
There were only separatist esprits; there was only class life; there was only geographical unity.
From The Express Companies of the United States A Study of a Public Utility by Benedict, Bert
Merely a few bachelor friends of the Comandante—the beaux esprits of the place—including the fashionable Echevarria.
From The White Chief A Legend of Northern Mexico by Evans, L.
Beyond a doubt, the Jewish beaux esprits of Rome warmly supported the theatre; indeed, Roman satirists levelled their shafts against the zeal displayed in the service of art by Jewish patrons.
From Jewish Literature and Other Essays by Karpeles, Gustav
The literary world is divided into three corresponding classes—�rudits, philosophes and beaux esprits.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 3 "Electrostatics" to "Engis" by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
