Spiritual

How to spell spiritual

9 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce spiritual

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does spiritual mean?

1. adjectiveRelating to the human spirit or soul rather than to physical or material things.
2. nounA religious folk song, especially one developed within African American Christian tradition.

Spiritual in a sentence

• adjective

  The retreat offered guests time for quiet spiritual reflection.

• noun

  The choir closed the concert with a moving spiritual from the nineteenth century.

• adjective

  Many people find spiritual comfort in their family traditions.

• noun

  She studied the history of the American spiritual for her music degree.

Where does spiritual come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word traces back to the Latin spiritualis, meaning 'of breathing' or 'of the spirit', which was formed from spiritus, literally 'breath' or 'breathing', and by extension the breath of life or the soul. The underlying verb spirare meant 'to breathe', the same root that gives us 'respire', 'inspire', and 'aspire'. English took the word in during the 1300s through Old French spirituel, where it carried strong religious overtones, referring to matters of the soul as opposed to the body or material world. The connection between breath and spirit runs through many languages, since the unseen breath was a natural metaphor for the unseen life force within a person. The single 'r' and the '-ual' ending are the usual spelling traps, since speakers often hear an extra syllable that tempts a wrong vowel.

How the word is built

• spirit (from Latin spiritus: breath, life)
• -ual (adjective suffix)