esprit
French, noun/ɛs.pʁi/
esprit is spelled E-S-P-R-I-T (6 letters) and appears 135 times per million words in written French, the 612th most frequent French word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Esprit is a French masculine noun meaning “immaterial or incorporeal substance” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) defines it as “Substance incorporelle et immatérielle”.
What does esprit mean in English?
noun
- 1
masculineimmaterial or incorporeal substance
- 2
masculinedisembodied mind; spirit
- 3
masculinemind (in the wide sense)
- 4
masculinemind (as principle of thought)
- 5
masculinespecific mind aptitude
- 6
masculinehigh mind aptitude
- 7
masculinedeep intention, sense, or purpose (of a text, action, attitude...); philosophy (in figurative sense)
- 8
masculinehuman being, as possessing abilities of mind
Source: English Wiktionary, French section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How French dictionaries define it
noun: 1. Substance incorporelle et immatérielle. 2. Âme désincarnée douée de pensée et de vie. 3. Principe de la pensée et de la réflexion. 4. Aptitude intellectuelle particulière.
interjection: 1. Version atténuée des sacres, jurons.
The definition in the French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), in French.
Source: French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of esprit
- esprits plural
Source: English Wiktionary and French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce esprit?
- /ɛs.pʁi/
- \ɛs.pʁi\
- [ɛs.pʁi]
Sources: English Wiktionary, French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to esprit
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is esprit in French?
esprit appears 135 times per million words in written French.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).