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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Spirit \Spir"it\, noun [OF. espirit, esperit, F. esprit, L. spiritus, from spirare to breathe, to blow. Cf. {Conspire}, {Expire}, {Esprit}, {Sprite}.]
1. Air set in motion by breathing; breath; hence, sometimes, life itself. [Obs.] "All of spirit would deprive." --Spenser.
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. [Obs.]
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. pl. Rum, whisky, brandy, gin, and other distilled liquors having much alcohol, in distinction from wine and malt liquors.
14. (Med.) A solution in alcohol of a volatile principle. Cf. {Tincture}. --U. S. Disp.
15. (Alchemy) 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. (Dyeing) Stannic chloride. See under {Stannic}.
Note: 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 under {Astral}, {Familiar}, etc.
{Animal spirits}. (a) (Physiol.) The fluid which at one time was supposed to circulate through the nerves and was regarded as the agent of sensation and motion; -- called also the {nervous fluid}, or {nervous principle}. (b) Physical health and energy; frolicsomeness; sportiveness.
{Ardent spirits}, strong alcoholic liquors, as brandy, rum, whisky, etc., obtained by distillation.
{Holy Spirit}, or {The Spirit} (Theol.), the Spirit of God, or the third person of the Trinity; the Holy Ghost. The spirit also signifies the human spirit as influenced or animated by the Divine Spirit.
{Proof spirit}. (Chem.) See under {Proof}.
{Rectified spirit} (Chem.), spirit rendered purer or more concentrated by redistillation, so as to increase the percentage of absolute alcohol.
{Spirit butterfly} (Zool.), any one of numerous species of delicate butterflies of tropical America belonging to the genus {Ithomia}. The wings are gauzy and nearly destitute of scales.
{Spirit duck}. (Zool.) (a) The buffle-headed duck. (b) The golden-eye.
{Spirit lamp} (Art), a lamp in which alcohol or methylated spirit is burned.
{Spirit level}. See under {Level}.
{Spirit of hartshorn}. (Old Chem.) See under {Hartshorn}.
{Spirit of Mindererus} (Med.), an aqueous solution of acetate of ammonium; -- named after R. Minderer, physician of Augsburg.
{Spirit of nitrous ether} (Med. Chem.), a pale yellow liquid, of a sweetish taste and a pleasant ethereal odor. It is obtained by the distillation of alcohol with nitric and sulphuric acids, and consists essentially of ethyl nitrite with a little acetic aldehyde. It is used as a diaphoretic, diuretic, antispasmodic, etc. Called also {sweet spirit of niter}.
{Spirit of salt} (Chem.), hydrochloric acid; -- so called because obtained from salt and sulphuric acid. [Obs.]
{Spirit of sense}, the utmost refinement of sensation. [Obs.] --Shak.
{Spirits of turpentine}, or {Spirit of turpentine} (Chem.), rectified oil of turpentine, a transparent, colorless, volatile, and very inflammable liquid, distilled from the turpentine of the various species of pine; camphine. It is commonly used to remove paint from surfaces, or to dissole oil-based paint. See {Camphine}.
{Spirit of vitriol} (Chem.), sulphuric acid; -- so called because formerly obtained by the distillation of green vitriol. [Obs.]
{Spirit of vitriolic ether} (Chem.) ethyl ether; -- often but incorrectly called {sulphuric ether}. See {Ether}. [Obs.]
{Spirits of wine}, or {Spirit of wine} (Chem.), 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}, 3.
{Sweet spirit of niter}. See {Spirit of nitrous ether}, above.
Syn: Life; ardor; energy; fire; courage; animatioon; cheerfulness; vivacity; enterprise.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Spirit \Spir"it\, verb (used with an object) [imp. & p. p. {Spirited}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Spiriting}.]
1. To animate with vigor; to excite; to encourage; to inspirit; as, civil dissensions often spirit the ambition of private men; -- sometimes followed by up.
Many officers and private men spirit up and assist those obstinate people to continue in their rebellion. --Swift.
2. To convey rapidly and secretly, or mysteriously, as if by the agency of a spirit; to kidnap; -- often with away, or off.
The ministry had him spirited away, and carried abroad as a dangerous person. --Arbuthnot & Pope.
I felt as if I had been spirited into some castle of antiquity. --Willis.
{Spiriting away} (Law), causing to leave; the offense of inducing a witness to leave a jurisdiction so as to evade process requiring attendance at trial.
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
noun
1: the vital principle or animating force within living things
2: the general atmosphere of a place or situation and the effect that it has on people; "the feel of the city excited him"; "a clergyman improved the tone of the meeting"; "it had the smell of treason" [syn: {spirit}, {tone}, {feel}, {feeling}, {flavor}, {flavour}, {look}, {smell}]
3: a fundamental emotional and activating principle determining one's character
4: any incorporeal supernatural being that can become visible (or audible) to human beings [syn: {spirit}, {disembodied spirit}]
5: the state of a person's emotions (especially with regard to pleasure or dejection); "his emotional state depended on her opinion"; "he was in good spirits"; "his spirit rose" [syn: {emotional state}, {spirit}]
6: the intended meaning of a communication [syn: {intent}, {purport}, {spirit}]
7: animation and energy in action or expression; "it was a heavy play and the actors tried in vain to give life to it" [syn: {liveliness}, {life}, {spirit}, {sprightliness}]
8: an inclination or tendency of a certain kind; "he had a change of heart" [syn: {heart}, {spirit}]
verb
1: infuse with spirit; "The company spirited him up" [syn: {spirit}, {spirit up}, {inspirit}]
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Definitions retrieved from the Open Source DICT Webster's English and WordNet 3.0 dictionaries. Click here for database copyright information.
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