spirit

spirit

I. spir‧it¹ S2 W2 /ˈspɪrət, ˈspɪrɪt/ BrE AmE noun
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Anglo-French; Origin: Latin spiritus 'breath, spirit']
1. CHARACTER [singular, uncountable] the qualities that make someone live the way they do, and make them different from other people
in spirit
I’m 85, but I still feel young in spirit.
independent/proud/free etc spirit (=a person with a particular type of character)
She is a strong and independent spirit. ⇨ kindred spirit at ↑kindred²(1)
2. HAPPY/SAD spirits [plural] the way someone feels at a particular time, for example if they are happy or sad ⇨ mood
be in good/high spirits (=be excited and happy)
Cooper was still in high spirits after winning the race.
His spirits were so low (=he was so sad) that he refused to answer his phone.
raise/lift sb’s spirits (=make someone happier)
The warm morning sun lifted our spirits.
She wrote poetry while she was in the hospital to keep her spirits up (=keep happy).
sb’s spirits rise/lift/sink (=they become more or less happy)
My spirits sank when I saw the mess they’d left.
3. SOUL [countable] the part of someone that you cannot see, that consists of the qualities that make up their character, which many people believe continues to live after the person has died ⇨ soul:
Although Laurie is dead, I can feel his spirit with me.
4. NO BODY [countable] a creature without a physical body that some people believe exists, such as an ↑angel or a dead person, who has returned to this world and has strange or magical powers ⇨ ghost:
an evil spirit
5. DETERMINATION [uncountable] courage, energy, and determination – used to show approval:
Sandra is small, but she makes up for it with great spirit.
a young team with strong fighting spirit
When they took away his freedom, they broke his spirit (=made him lose his courage).
6. ATTITUDE [singular, uncountable] the attitude that you have towards something or while you are doing something:
You’ve got to approach this meeting in the right spirit.
spirit of
the spirit of cooperation between the two sides
7. team/community/public etc spirit a strong feeling of belonging to a particular group and wanting to help them
8. TYPICAL QUALITIES [countable usually singular] the set of ideas, beliefs, feelings etc that are typical of a particular period in history, a place, or a group of people
spirit of
Tourism has not destroyed the spirit of Bali.
the spirit of the age/times
His beliefs conflicted with the spirit of the age.
9. in spirit if you say you will be somewhere in spirit or with someone in spirit, you will not be with them but will be thinking about them:
I can’t come to your wedding, but I’ll be there in spirit.
10. get/enter into the spirit (of something) to start to feel as happy, excited etc as the people around you:
Judith couldn’t really enter into the spirit of the occasion.
11. INTENTION [uncountable] the meaning or qualities that someone intended something to have, especially the meaning that a law or rule was intended to have:
Thoreau believed that his actions were in the spirit of American institutions.
Miller’s actions may not be actually illegal, but they have violated the spirit of the law. ⇨ the letter of the law at ↑letter¹(4)
12. the Spirit the ↑Holy Spirit
13. DRINK [countable usually plural]
a) especially British English a strong alcoholic drink such as ↑whisky or ↑brandy
b) British English liquid such as alcohol, used for cleaning
14. that’s the spirit spoken used to express approval of someone’s behaviour or attitude
15. when/as the spirit moves you when you feel that you want to do something
16. the spirit is willing (but the flesh is weak) used when saying that you want to do something, but you are too tired or do not feel strong enough – often used humorously
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COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 2)
■ adjectives
▪ high/good (=used when saying that someone is happy and excited) The players were all in high spirits.
▪ low/flagging (=used when saying that someone is sad) She was tired and her spirits were low.
■ verbs
▪ lift/raise/revive sb’s spirits (=make them feel happier) A brisk walk helped to lift my spirits.
▪ keep sb’s spirits up (=keep them feeling happy) He wrote home often, trying to keep his family’s spirits up.
▪ dampen sb’s spirits (=make them feel less happy) They refused to let the rain dampen their spirits.
▪ sb’s spirits rise/lift/soar (=they start feeling happier) Her spirits rose as they left the ugliness of London behind.
▪ sb’s spirits sink (=they start feeling less happy) His spirits sank at the prospect.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ ghost the spirit of a dead person that some people think they can feel or see in a place: His ghost is believed to haunt the house.
▪ spirit a creature without a physical body, such as an angel or ghost: evil spirits | the spirit world
▪ apparition an image of a dead person that someone sees suddenly for a short time: He claimed to have seen an apparition in the church.
▪ poltergeist a ghost that people cannot see, which throws things or moves things around: The house was haunted by a poltergeist that makes things move around all by themselves, sometimes quite big things like beds or wardrobes.
▪ spook informal a ghost: I’m not scared of spooks.
▪ phantom literary a frightening and unclear image of a dead person: They had seen phantoms gliding on the surface of the water.
▪ spectre British English, specter American English literary a ghost, especially a frightening one: She had looked like a spectre. | The following night, the spectre appeared again.
II. spirit² BrE AmE verb
spirit somebody/something away/off phrasal verb written
to take someone or something away quickly and secretly:
After his speech, Jackson was spirited away through a back door.