Spirit

How to spell spirit

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce spirit

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does spirit mean?

1. nounThe non-physical part of a person, regarded as the seat of character, feeling, and the will to act.
2. nounThe prevailing mood, energy, or sense of unity shared by a group.
3. nounA strong distilled alcoholic drink such as whisky, gin, or vodka.
4. nounA ghost or supernatural being thought to exist without a physical body.

Spirit in a sentence

• Years of setbacks never broke her fighting spirit.

• The new coach rebuilt team spirit after a losing season.

• The recipe calls for a clear neutral spirit rather than a flavoured one.

• Local legend claims a restless spirit wanders the old mill at night.

• The volunteers worked all weekend with a generous spirit.

• Office spirit improved once the long hours were cut back.

Where does spirit come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word traces back to the Latin spiritus, which literally meant 'breath' or 'breathing', formed from the verb spirare, 'to breathe'. Ancient writers naturally linked the breath of life with the animating force inside a living thing, so spiritus came to mean the soul or the vital principle that keeps a body alive. English took the word in during the 1200s through Old French, at first in strongly religious senses tied to the soul and the Holy Spirit, and over the centuries it branched out to cover mood, courage, character, ghosts, and even distilled alcohol (which the old chemists thought captured the 'essence' or breath of a substance). The same spirare root still breathes inside everyday relatives such as 'inspire', 'respire', and 'perspire'. Because the unstressed second syllable is a faint schwa, writers sometimes reach for 'spirit' versus a doubtful 'sprit' or 'spirat', but the steady -ir-it spelling has stayed constant since it entered English.

How the word is built

• spir- (from Latin spirare: to breathe)
• -it (from the Latin noun spiritus: breath, breathing)