Felicitations friends, foes, femme fatales, and fancy fellas. Welcome to my new series where I spend so much time ruminating over a single word that it hardly looks real anymore. I geek out over a bunch of things; star fights, star trips, and playing pretend with dice to name a few. But, for an author, there’s nothing quite like geeking out over words. Especially in a language like English where we just snag words from other languages, change them a little bit, then claim they were ours to begin with.
So, I hope you’ll take some time to co-geek with me as we deconstruct this week’s word: spirit.
Modern definition
spirit: noun
A selection from the 16 total definitions in the Mirriam-Webster Dictionary
spir·it ˈspir-ət
1: an animating or vital principle held to give life to physical organisms
2: a supernatural being or essence
3: the immaterial intelligent or sentient part of a person
4: the liquid containing ethanol and water that is distilled from an alcoholic liquid or mash
5: enthusiastic loyalty: school spirit
Orignal Meaning
The word spirit comes to us from the Latin word spiritus and the French word espirit. Both of these words were used to describe breath, wind, or air. It was also closely tied to the idea of an animating force or soul. When you’re born, you start breathing, and when you die. you stop. Breath has always been an indicative sign of life. Symbolically, exhaling your last breath has been coined as releasing your spirit, or giving up the ghost.
Inspire/Expire/Respire/Conspire
This also means that many words with the root “spire” in them also come from similar breath-related meanings. Respire, or respiration is an easy link. It’s literally the act of breathing in and out, and then repeating it you re-spire. Expire makes sense too as it originally meant “to breathe out” and expiration is death or letting out your last breath. Inspire actually took a bit of time in English to match this breathing meaning. Originally it was used solely to describe influence by a devine force. After that it matched up to its root, meaning “to breathe in” (inspire + expire = respire). It wasn’t until much later that inspire took on the meaning of “to influence or be impelled.” Then conspire is interesting. The prefix con- for together and -sipre for breath gives it an original meaning of “to breathe together,” and brings forth ideas of a group speaking together with one voice, or uttering the same oath as others to join together for a cause.
Spirit in other languages
Although we didn’t form the English word spirit from these other languages, the idea of spirit and breath are also closely tied there too. The Hebrew “ruach” (רוּחַ), Greek “pneuma” (πνεῦμα), and Sanskrit “prana” (प्राण) all have dual meanings of “life-giving force” and air, wind, or breath.
Ruach is used several times in the Hebrew Bible to be the Spirit of God, or the Holy Spirit, but other times just to refer to the wind or breath. (Editor’s Note: Many times has the author sung the song Winds of Peace which has Hebrew verses of “ruach”) (Author’s Note: Why did you do this? You’re both the Editor, Author, and Publisher, we’re all the same person!) (Publisher’s Note: The opinions of the Author and the Editor are their own and do not represent the opinions of Brian Thompson Writes or its divisions and subsidiaries.)
Pneuma should look a little familiar. It’s the base of the English word pneumatic meaning to be pushed or played with air. But also had initial meetings including spirit, odor, and inspiration.
Prana is about as close to a combination air/spirit combo you can get. In Indian and Hindu Philosophy, prana is one of the vital airs. Prana is the energy that animates every living thing. Prana isn’t your soul though, it’s just the energy binding your soul to your body. When you release your prana when you exhale your last breath your soul departs and eventually finds a new host. When you then reincarnate and breathe in new prana.
Obligatory tie-in to my book
So, why start this new blog series out with the word ‘spirit?’ Well, that’s what my novel The Observer is all about. Spirits learning how to survive in a fantastical afterlife where time is a set of locations that can be visited, every moment is a battle to influence the living, and learning about who you were never really seems to provide any clarity.
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See you next week for another Word Geek Wednesday.
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