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spirit has many differing meanings and connotations, but commonly refers to a supernatural being or essence — transcendent and therefore metaphysical in its nature: the Concise Oxford Dictionary defines it as "the non-physical part of a person". For many people, however, spirit, like soul, forms a natural part of a being: such people may identify spirit with mind, or with consciousness, or with the brain.
Etymology The English word spirit comes from the Latin spiritus, meaning "breath" (compare spiritus asper), but also "soul, courage, vigor", ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European ?? (ruah), as opposed to Latin anima and Greek psykhe. The word apparently came into Middle English via Old French. The distinction between soul and spirit developed in Judeo-Christian terminology (thus we find Greek psykhe as opposed to pneuma, Latin anima as opposed to spiritus, Hebrew ruach (????? rûah) as opposed to neshama (???????? n?šâmâh) or nephesh; in Hebrew neshama comes from the root NŠM or "breath").
Metaphysical and metaphorical usesEnglish-speakers use the word "spirit" in two related contexts, one metaphysical and the other metaphorical.
Metaphysical contexts In metaphysical terms, "spirit" has acquired a number of meanings:
- An incorporeal but ubiquitous, non-quantifiable substance or energy present individually in all living things
. Unlike the concept of souls (often regarded as eternal and usually believed to pre-exist the body) a spirit develops and grows as an integral aspect of a living being.
- Harmonism reserves the term "spirit" for those which collectively control and influence an individual from the realm of the mind.
Metaphorical usage The metaphorical use of the term likewise groups several related meanings:
- The loyalty and feeling of inclusion in the social history or collective essence of an institution or group, such as in school spirit or esprit de corps.
- A closely related meaning refers to the worldview of a person, place, or time, as in "The Declaration of Independence was written in the spirit of John Locke and his notions of liberty", or the term zeitgeist, meaning "spirit of the age".
- As a synonym for "vivacity" as in "She performed the piece with spirit" or "She put up a spirited defense".
- The underlying intention of a text as distinguished from its literal meaning, especially in law; see Letter and spirit of the law
- As a term for alcoholic beverages — stemming from medieval superstitions that explained the effects of alcohol as demonic activity.
- In mysticism: existence in unity with Godhead. Soul may also equate with spirit, but the soul involves certain individual human consciousness, while spirit comes from beyond that. Compare the psychological teaching of Al-Ghazali.
See soul and ghost and spiritual for related discussions.
Related concepts in other languagesSimilar concepts in other languages include Greek pneuma and Sanskrit akasha/atman, see also Prana.
Some languages use a word for "spirit" often closely related (if not synonymous) to "mind". Examples include the German, Geist (related to the English word "ghost") or the French, 'l'esprit'. English versions of the Judaeo-Christian Bible most commonly translate the Hebrew word "ruach" (???; "wind") as "the spirit", whose essence is divine
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