spirit
the vital principle or animating force within living things
How often you will meet it
Rank 536 of 71,295 words measured. It occurs 36,488 times across 155,370 chapters — 0.017% of every word in the library.
It belongs to the first 1,000 words, the band worth learning before any other.
What it means
noun
- the vital principle or animating force within living things
- the general atmosphere of a place or situation and the effect that it has on people also: tone, feel, feeling, flavor, flavour, look the feel of the city excited hima clergyman improved the tone of the meeting
- a fundamental emotional and activating principle determining one's character
- any incorporeal supernatural being that can become visible (or audible) to human beings also: disembodied spirit
- the state of a person's emotions (especially with regard to pleasure or dejection) also: emotional state his emotional state depended on her opinionhe was in good spirits
- the intended meaning of a communication also: intent, purport
spirit in real books
Each sentence below was written by a published author and is taken from a different book in our library. Open one to read the passage it came from, with narration.
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For that is the spirit of Yale.
The Courage of the Commonplace · Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews · Chapter 1
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Jason met his angry eyes with a new spirit.
The Heart of the Hills · John, Jr. Fox · Chapter 1
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Several instances of this spirit have occurred in the year past.
The Red Record Tabulated Statistics · Ida B. Wells-Barnett · Chapter 1
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She did not know she was humble-minded and of an angelic contentedness of spirit.
Emily Fox-Seton · Frances Hodgson Burnett · Chapter 1
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My soul doth magnify the Lord: and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
The White Christmas and other Merry · Walter Ben Hare · Chapter 1