esprit

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   lively intelligence, wit, or vivacious cleverness

   Her quick replies gave the conversation an effortless esprit.

2. 2
   noun

   a lively spirit, enthusiasm, or characteristic energy

   The ensemble performed with enough esprit to animate the formal occasion.

Borrowed from French esprit, 'spirit or mind,' from Old French espirit and Latin spiritus, 'breath, spirit.' English has used the borrowing since the sixteenth century, especially for distinctly French-seeming vivacity, cleverness, or conversational wit.

Topics

External links

• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary
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