Lexic.us

Definition of Spirit

1. Noun. The vital principle or animating force within living things.

2. Verb. Infuse with spirit. "The company spirited him up"

3. Noun. The general atmosphere of a place or situation and the effect that it has on people. "It had the smell of treason"

4. Noun. A fundamental emotional and activating principle determining one's character.

5. Noun. Any incorporeal supernatural being that can become visible (or audible) to human beings.

6. Noun. The state of a person's emotions (especially with regard to pleasure or dejection). "His spirit rose"

7. Noun. The intended meaning of a communication.

8. Noun. Animation and energy in action or expression. "It was a heavy play and the actors tried in vain to give life to it"

9. Noun. An inclination or tendency of a certain kind. "He had a change of heart"

Definition of Spirit

1. n. Air set in motion by breathing; breath; hence, sometimes, life itself.

2. v. t. To animate with vigor; to excite; to encourage; to inspirit; as, civil dissensions often spirit the ambition of private men; -- sometimes followed by up.

Definition of Spirit

1. Proper noun. ('''Holy''') '''Spirit''': in Christian theology, the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, the three aspects of God ¹

2. Proper noun. the Devil.([ Ephesians 2:2]) ¹

3. Proper noun. The name given to a Mars exploration rover launched June 10, 2003. See wikipedia entry ¹

4. Noun. The undying essence of a human. The soul. ¹

5. Noun. A supernatural being, often but not exclusively without physical form; ghost, fairy, angel. ¹

6. Noun. enthusiasm ¹

7. Noun. The manner or style of something. ¹

8. Noun. (usually plural) A volatile liquid, such as alcohol. The plural form spirits is a generic term for distilled alcoholic beverages. ¹

9. Noun. Energy. ¹

10. Verb. To carry off, especially in haste, secrecy, or mystery. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Spirit

1. to carry off secretly [v -ED, -ING, -S]

Medical Definition of Spirit

1. 1. Air set in motion by breathing; breath; hence, sometimes, life itself. "All of spirit would deprive." "The mild air, with season moderate, Gently attempered, and disposed eo well, That still it breathed foorth sweet spirit." (Spenser) 2. A rough breathing; an aspirate, as the letter h; also, a mark to denote aspiration; a breathing. "Be it a letter or spirit, we have great use for it." (B. Jonson) 3. Life, or living substance, considered independently of corporeal existence; an intelligence conceived of apart from any physical organization or embodiment; vital essence, force, or energy, as distinct from matter. 4. The intelligent, immaterial and immortal part of man; the soul, in distinction from the body in which it resides; the agent or subject of vital and spiritual functions, whether spiritual or material. "There is a spirit in man; and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding." (Job xxxii. 8) "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." (James II. 26) "Spirit is a substance wherein thinking, knowing, doubting, and a power of moving, do subsist." (Locke) 5. Specifically, a disembodied soul; the human soul after it has left the body. "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it." (Eccl. Xii. 7) "Ye gentle spirits far away, With whom we shared the cup of grace." (Keble) 6. Any supernatural being, good or bad; an apparition; a specter; a ghost; also, sometimes, a sprite,; a fairy; an elf. "Whilst young, preserve his tender mind from all impressions of spirits and goblins in the dark." (Locke) 7. Energy, vivacity, ardor, enthusiasm, courage, etc. ""Write it then, quickly," replied Bede; and summoning all his spirits together, like the last blaze of a candle going out, he indited it, and expired." (Fuller) 8. One who is vivacious or lively; one who evinces great activity or peculiar characteristics of mind or temper; as, a ruling spirit; a schismatic spirit. "Such spirits as he desired to please, such would I choose for my judges." (Dryden) 9. Temper or disposition of mind; mental condition or disposition; intellectual or moral state; often in the plural; as, to be cheerful, or in good spirits; to be downhearted, or in bad spirits. "God has . . . Made a spirit of building succeed a spirit of pulling down." (South) "A perfect judge will read each work of wit With the same spirit that its author writ." (Pope) 10. Intent; real meaning; opposed to the letter, or to formal statement; also, characteristic quality, especially such as is derived from the individual genius or the personal character; as, the spirit of an enterprise, of a document, or the like. 11. Tenuous, volatile, airy, or vapory substance, possessed of active qualities. "All bodies have spirits . . . Within them." (Bacon) 12. Any liquid produced by distillation; especially, alcohol, the spirits, or spirit, of wine (it having been first distilled from wine): often in the plural. 13. Rum, whisky, brandy, gin, and other distilled liquors having much alcohol, in distinction from wine and malt liquors. 14. A solution in alcohol of a volatile principle. Cf. Tincture. 15. Any one of the four substances, sulphur, sal ammoniac, quicksilver, or arsenic (or, according to some, orpiment). "The four spirits and the bodies seven." (Chaucer) 16. Stannic chloride. See Stannic. Spirit is sometimes joined with other words, forming compounds, generally of obvious signification; as, spirit-moving, spirit-searching, spirit-stirring, etc. Astral spirits, Familiar spirits, etc. See Astral, Familiar, etc. Animal spirits. Alcohol; so called because formerly obtained by the distillation of wine. Spirit rapper, one who practices spirit rapping; a "medium" so called. Spirit rapping, an alleged form of communication with the spirits of the dead by raps. See Spiritualism. Sweet spirit of niter. See Spirit of nitrous ether, above. Synonym: Life, ardor, energy, fire, courage, animatioon, cheerfulness, vivacity, enterprise. Origin: OF. Espirit, esperit, F. Esprit, L. Spiritus, from spirare to breathe, to blow. Cf. Conspire, Expire, Esprit, Sprite. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Spirit

spiricles spirics spirier spiriest spirifer spirifers spirilla spirillar spirillar dysentery spirillicidal

spirillosis spirillum spirillum fever spirillums spiring spirit spirit away spirit bear spirit duplicator spirit gum

spirit lamp spirit lamps spirit level spirit levels spirit of nitre spirit of salt spirit of the law spirit of turpentine spirit of wine spirit off

Literary usage of Spirit

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. The Montessori Method by Maria Montessori (1912)
"is the spirit of the men of science, to whom nature freely reveals her secrets, crowning their labours with the glory of discovery. ..."

2. Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville, Henry Reeve (1900)
"PUBLIC Spirit OF THE TOWNSHIPS OF NEW ENGLAND How the township of New England wins the affections of its inhabitants—Difficulty of creating local public ..."

3. Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville, Henry Reeve, John Canfield Spencer (1848)
"Muni- fr nations of public Spirit in New England.—Its happy Effects. IN America, not only do municipal bodies exist, but they are kept alive and supported ..."

4. History of English Nonconformity from Wiclif to the Close of the Nineteenth by Henry William Clark (1911)
"INTRODUCTION THE NONCONFORMIST Spirit THIS book is concerned, as its title indicates, with concrete Nonconformity, with the actual Nonconformist movements ..."

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