• | Air set in motion by breathing; breath; hence, sometimes, life itself. |
• | A rough breathing; an aspirate, as the letter h; also, a mark to denote aspiration; a breathing. |
• | 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. |
• | 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. |
• | Specifically, a disembodied soul; the human soul after it has left the body. |
• | Any supernatural being, good or bad; an apparition; a specter; a ghost; also, sometimes, a sprite,; a fairy; an elf. |
• | Energy, vivacity, ardor, enthusiasm, courage, etc. |
• | 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. |
• | 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. |
• | 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. |
• | Tenuous, volatile, airy, or vapory substance, possessed of active qualities. |
• | Any liquid produced by distillation; especially, alcohol, the spirits, or spirit, of wine (it having been first distilled from wine): -- often in the plural. |
• | Rum, whisky, brandy, gin, and other distilled liquors having much alcohol, in distinction from wine and malt liquors. |
• | A solution in alcohol of a volatile principle. Cf. Tincture. |
• | Any one of the four substances, sulphur, sal ammoniac, quicksilver, or arsenic (or, according to some, orpiment). |
• | Stannic chloride. See under Stannic. |
• | To animate with vigor; to excite; to encourage; to inspirit; as, civil dissensions often spirit the ambition of private men; -- sometimes followed by up. |
• | To convey rapidly and secretly, or mysteriously, as if by the agency of a spirit; to kidnap; -- often with away, or off. |