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Where does the word "corps" come from? It comes from Latin corpus, passing through French before entering English (1700s).
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Where does the word "corps" come from? It comes from Latin corpus, passing through French before entering English (1700s).
Corps’s story begins in Latin: corpus meant “body.” The root of 'corpse' and 'corporation'. By 1600s, the word had taken hold in French as corps. A body of troops. It reached English by 1700s as corps. Pronounced without the p and s, as in French. Today, corps means a military unit; an organized group.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient corpus "body", the root of 'corpse' and 'corporation'.
- Stage 2 · French · 1600s corps "body", a body of troops.
- Stage 3 · English · 1700s corps "military unit", pronounced without the p and s, as in French.