Corps

/kɔːr/ noun

Definition

A large organized group or division of people, especially in the military, or a dead body (from the French version 'corps').

Etymology

From French 'corps' and Latin 'corpus' meaning body. In military contexts, it refers to a body of troops. The word kept its French pronunciation in English despite being spelled like Latin.

Kelly Says

The pronunciation of 'corps' shows how English borrowed French words while keeping their French sounds—this happened after the Norman Conquest when French-speaking nobles ruled England, and you can still hear this linguistic invasion in words like 'corps', 'debris', and 'buffet'.

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