Corps
/kɔːr/noun
An organized body of people, especially soldiers belonging to a specialized military unit.
Did you know?The word comes from Latin corpus, “body,” which also gave English corpse; a military corps is metaphorically a single collective body.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kʷr̥p-os
“Reconstructed root associated with the body or physical form”
Classical Latin
Latin
corpus
“Body; physical substance”
Old French
Old French
cors
“Body; a group or body of people”
16th Century
French
corps
“Body; organized body of troops”
16th–17th Century
English
corps
“A body of soldiers or an organized military formation”
Modern English
English
corps
“A specialized military unit or organized professional group”
Explore more surprising origins