Spirit: When you order spirits at a bar,… | etymologist.ai
spirit
/ˈspɪrɪt/·noun·c. 1250 CE, Middle English 'spirite', in theological and physiological senses; the alchemical sense of distilled essence attested by c. 1580·Established
Origin
From Latin *spiritus* (breath, from *spirare*, to breathe), entering English via Old French *espirit* in the 13th century already laden with a millennium of Christian theological meaning — the same root gives us inspire, expire, conspire, and distilled spirits, all literal descriptions of breath repurposed by metaphor.
Definition
The animating or vital principle held to give life to physical organisms, often conceived as a non-material essence distinct from the body.
The Full Story
LatinClassical Latin, 1st century BCE onwardwell-attested
TheEnglish word 'spirit' derives from Latin 'spiritus', a noun of the fourth declension meaning 'breath, breathing, exhalation; the breath of a god, divine inspiration; the soul, spirit.' The Latinnoun is formed from the verb 'spirare' (to breathe, blow), which itself descends from the Proto-Indo-European root *sp(h)ei- (to blow, breathe, swell). The verb 'spirare' is well attested in Classical Latin authorsincluding Cicero and
Did you know?
When you order spirits at a bar, you are using thevocabulary of medieval alchemy. Alchemists called distilled alcohol *spiritus vini* — the spirit of wine — because the volatile essence seemed to rise from the liquid like breath rising from the body. The metaphorwas consistent with their worldview: distillation was the release of the invisible animating principle trapped in matter
phrases like 'Spiritus Sanctus' (Holy Spirit) for Greek 'Hagion Pneuma'. This ecclesiastical usage was decisive in elevating 'spiritus' from a physiological to a theological term. The word entered Old French as 'espirit' (c. 11th century), then passed into Middle English as 'spirit' by approximately the 13th century. Over subsequent centuries English extended the sense to include: the animating principle of life, incorporeal beings, mood or disposition (as in 'high spirits'), distilled alcoholic liquors (from the alchemical sense of volatile essence, by the 16th century), and courage or vivacity. Cognates sharing the Latin verbal stem include: 'expire', 'inspire', 'respire', 'aspire', 'conspire', 'perspire', 'transpire', and 'spiracle'. The alchemical sense of 'spirits of wine' (alcohol) is attested in English by the 1580s. Key roots: *sp(h)ei- (Proto-Indo-European: "to blow, breathe; to swell or puff"), spirare (Latin: "to breathe, to blow"), spiritus (Latin: "breath; vital spirit; the soul; divine inspiration").