King James Bible Dictionary

(Heb. ruah; Gr. pneuma), properly wind or breath. In 2 Thessalonians 2:8 it means "breath," and in Ecclesiastes 8:8 the vital principle in man. It also denotes the rational, immortal soul by which man is distinguished (Acts 7:59; 1 Corinthians 5:5; 6:20; 7:34), and the soul in its separate state (Hebrews 12:23), and hence also an apparition (Job 4:15; Luke 24:37, 39), an angel (Hebrews 1:14), and a demon (Luke 4:36; 10:20). This word is used also metaphorically as denoting a tendency (Zechariah 12:10; Luke 13:11).

In Romans 1:4, 1 Timothy 3:16, 2 Corinthians 3:17, 1 Peter 3:18, it designates the divine nature.

Called inner man
Romans 7:22; Ephesians 3:16
Angel (1); Demons; Holy Spirit; Man, Spirit; Satan

SPIR'IT, noun [Latin spiritus, from spiro, to breathe, to blow. The primary sense is to rush or drive.]

1. Primarily, wind; air in motion; hence, breath. All bodies have spirits and pneumatical parts within them. [This sense is now unusual.]

2. Animal excitement, or the effect of it; life; ardor; fire; courage; elevation or vehemence of mind. The troops attacked the enemy with great spirit The young man has the spirit of youth. He speaks or act with spirit Spirits, in the plural, is used in nearly a like sense. The troops began to recover their spirits.

3. Vigor of intellect; genius. His wit, his beauty and his spirit The noblest spirit or genius cannot deserve enough of mankind to pretend to the esteem of heroic virtue.

4. Temper; disposition of mind, habitual or temporary; as a man of a generous spirit or of a revengeful spirit; the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit Let us go to the house of God in the spirit of prayer.

5. The soul of man; the intelligent, immaterial and immortal part of human beings. [See Soul.] the spirit shall return to God that gave it. Eceles. 12.

6. An immaterial intelligent substance. spirit is a substance in which thinking, knowing, doubting, and a power of moving do subsist. Hence,

7. An immaterial intelligent being. By which he went and preached to the spirit in prison. I Pet. 3. God is a spirit John 4:23.

8. Turn of mind; temper; occasions; state of the mind. A perfect judge will read each work of wit, with the same spirit that its author writ.

9. Powers of mind distinct from the body. In spirit perhaps he also saw Rich Mexico, the seat of Montezume.

10. Sentiment; perception. You spirit is too true, your fears too certain.

11. Eager desire; disposition of mind excited and directed to a particular object. God has made a spirit of building succeed a spirit of pulling down.

12. A person of activity; a man of life, vigor or enterprise. The watery kingdom is no bar to stop the foreign spirits, but they come.

13. Persons distinguished by qualities of the mind. Such spirits as he desired to please, such would I choose for my judges.

14. Excitement of mind; animation; cheerfulness; usually in the plural. We found our friend in very good spirits. He has a great flow of spirits. -To sing thy praise, would heaven my breath prolong, Infusing spirits worthy such a song.

15. Life or strength of resemblance; essential qualities; as, to set off the face in its true spirit The copy has not the spirit of the original.

16. Something eminently pure and refined. Nor doth the eye itself, that most pure spirit of sense, behold itself.

17. That which hath power or energy; the quality of any substance which manifest life, activity, or the power of strongly affecting other bodies; as the spirit of wine or of any liquor.

18. A strong, pungent or stimulation liquor, usually obtained by distillation, as rum, brandy, gin, whiskey. In America, spirit used without other words explanatory of its meaning, signifies the liquor distilled from cane-juice, or rum. We say, new spirit or old spirit Jamaica spirit etc.

19. An apparition; a ghost.

20. The renewed nature of man. Matthew 26:41. Galatians 5:5.

21. The influences of the Holy spirit Matthew 22:43.

HOLY SPIRIT, the third person in the Trinity.

SPIRIT, verb transitive

1. To animate; to actuate; as a spirit

So talkd the spirited sly snake. [Little used.]

2. To animate with vigor; to excite; to encourage; as, civil dissensions spirit the ambition of private man.

It is sometimes followed by up; as, to spirit up.

3. To kidnap.

To spirit away, to entice or seduce.

See HOLY GHOST.

SPIRITALLY, adverb By means of the breath. [Not in use.]

SPIRITED, participle passive

1. Animated; encouraged; incited.

2. adjective Animated; full of life; lively; full of spirit or fire; as a spirited address or oration; a spirited answer. It is used in composition, noting the state of the mind; as in high-spirited, low-spirited, mean-spirited.

SPIRITEDLY, adverb In a lively manner; with spirit; with strength; with animation.

SPIRITEDNESS, noun

1. Life; animation.

2. Disposition or make of mind; used in compounds; as high-spiritedness, low-spiritedness, mean-spiritedness, narrow-spiritedness.

SPIRITFUL, adjective Lively; full of spirit. [Not used.]

SPIRITFULLY, adverb In a lively manner. [Not used.]

SPIRITFULNESS, noun Liveliness; sprightliness. [Not used.]

SPIRITLESS, adjective

1. Destitute of spirits; wanting animation; wanting cheerfulness; dejected; depressed.

2. Destitute of vigor; wanting life, courage or fire; as a spiritless slave.

A man so faint, so spiritless so dull, so dead in look--

3. Having no breath; extinct; dead.

SPIRITLESSLY, adverb Without spirit; without exertion.

SPIRITLESSNESS, noun Dullness; want of life or vigor.

SPIRITOUS, adjective

1. Like spirit; refined; defecated; pure.

More refind, more spiritous and pure.

2. Fine ardent; active.

SPIRITOUSNESS, noun A refined state; fineness and activity of parts; as the thinness and spiritousness of liquor.

SPIRITUAL, adjective

1. Consisting of spirit; not material; incorporeal; as a spiritual substance or being. The soul of man is spiritual

2. Mental; intellectual; as spiritual armor.

3. Not gross; refined from external things; not sensual; relative to mind only; as a spiritual and refined religion.

4. Not lay or temporal; relating to sacred things; ecclesiastical; as the spiritual functions of the clergy; the lords spiritual and temporal; a spiritual corporation.

5. Pertaining to spirit or to the affections; pure; holy.

Gods law is spiritual; it is a transcript of the divine nature, and extends its authority to the acts of the soul of man.

6. Pertaining to the renewed nature of man; as spiritual life.

7. Not fleshly; not material; as spiritual sacrifices. 1 Peter 2:5.

8. Pertaining to divine things; as spiritual songs. Ephesians 5:19.

SPIRITUAL court, an ecclesiastical court; a court held by a bishop or other ecclesiastic.

See Blessing, Spiritual; Holy Spirit; Sanctification
Blessing, Spiritual; Holy Spirit; Sanctification

See Blindness, Spiritual
Blindness, Spiritual

See Zeal
Zeal

See Joy; Peace
Joy; Peace

See Necromancy; Sorcery
Necromancy; Sorcery

Described as the great and enduring good
Luke 10:42

Described as love and devotion to God
Deuteronomy 6:5; Joshua 22:5; 1 Kings 8:23; Psalms 1:2; Psalms 51:6

Brings peace
Isaiah 26:3; Jeremiah 33:6; Romans 8:6; Romans 14:17

Brings indifference to worldly good
1 Corinthians 7:29-31; Colossians 3:1-3

Brings thirst for heavenly blessings
Matthew 5:6; John 6:27

Is produced by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit
John 14:16-17; Romans 8:4

SPIRITUALITY, noun

1. Essence distinct from matter; immateriality.

If this light be not spiritual, it approacheth nearest to spirituality

2. Intellectual nature; as the spirituality of the soul.

3. Spiritual nature; the quality which respects the spirit or affections of the heart only, and the essence of true religion; as the spirituality of God's law.

4. Spiritual exercises and holy affections.

Much of our spirituality and comfort in public worship depend on the state of mind in which we come.

5. That which belongs to the church, or to a person as an ecclesiastic, or to religion; as distinct from temporalities.

During the vacancy of a see, the archbishop is guardian of the spiritualities thereof.

6. An ecclesiastical body. [Not in use.]

SPIRITUALIZATION, noun The act of spiritualizing. In chemistry, the operation of extracting spirit from natural bodies.

SPIRITUALIZE, verb intransitive

1. To refine the intellect; to purify from the feculences of the world; as, to spiritualize the soul.

2. In chemistry, to extract spirit from natural bodies.

3. To convert to a spiritual meaning.

SPIRITUALLY, adverb Without corporeal grossness or sensuality; in a manner conformed to the spirit of true religion; with purity of spirit or heart.

SPIRITUALLY minded, under the influence of the Holy Spirit or of holy principles; having the affections refined and elevated above sensual objects, and placed on God and his law. Romans 8:6.

SPIRITUALLY discerned, known, not by carnal reason, but by the peculiar illumination of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:14.

SPIRITUOUS, adjective

1. Containing spirit; consisting of refined spirit; ardent; as spirituous liquors. [This might well be written spiritous.]

2. Having the quality of spirit; fine; pure; active; as the spirituous part of a plant.

3. Lively; gay; vivid; airy. [Not in use.]

SPIRITUOUSNESS, noun

1. The quality of being spirituous; ardor; heat; stimulating quality; as the spirituousness of liquors.

2. Life; tenuity; activity.