Noun: spirit spi-rit
- The vital principle or animating force within living things
"Despite his illness, his spirit remained strong"
- Any incorporeal supernatural being that can become visible (or audible) to human beings
"Ghost stories often feature disembodied spirits haunting old houses";
- disembodied spirit
- The general atmosphere of a place or situation and the effect that it has on people
"a clergyman improved the spirit of the meeting";
- tone, feel, feeling, flavor [US], flavour [Brit, Cdn], look, smell
- A fundamental emotional and activating principle determining one's character
"Her indomitable spirit helped her overcome many challenges"
- The state of a person's emotions (especially with regard to pleasure or dejection)
"he was in good spirits"; "his spirit rose";
- emotional state
- Animation and energy in action or expression
"The elderly woman still showed remarkable spirit";
- liveliness, life, sprightliness
- An inclination or tendency of a certain kind
"he had a change of spirit";
- heart
- The intended meaning of a communication
"The spirit of the law was to protect consumers, not to burden businesses";
- intent, purport
- [Brit] An alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented
"The bar stocked a wide variety of spirits for cocktails";
- liquor, spirits [Brit], hard drink, hard liquor, John Barleycorn [informal], strong drink
Derived forms: spirits, spiriting, spirited
See also: full of life, lively, vital
Type of: alcohol, alcoholic beverage, alcoholic drink, ambiance, ambience, animate, animation, atmosphere, booze [informal], brio, character, disposition, emotion, enliven, fiber [US], fibre [Brit, Cdn], import, inebriant, intoxicant, invigorate, invigoration, juice [N. Amer, informal], life principle, liven, liven up, meaning, significance, signification, spiritedness, spiritual being, supernatural being, temperament, vital principle, vivification
Encyclopedia: Spirit, WI