spirit

Spirit refers to a non-physical essence, life force, or consciousness that many cultures attribute to living beings, deities, and supernatural entities. In everyday language it also denotes vitality or morale, and in religious or philosophical contexts it can signify a soul, a breath of life, or an immaterial substance.

Religious traditions commonly distinguish spirit from matter. In Hebrew, ruach means wind or breath and often spirit; in Christianity, the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. Many belief systems also posit spirits as ancestors, angels, or nature beings. Philosophically, spirit is used to denote the immaterial aspect of a person or, in some schools, a universal or eternal intelligence, in contrast with bodily matter.

In scientific discourse, spirit is usually treated as a metaphor for life processes or consciousness. Vitalism, a historical doctrine asserting a separate life force, has been largely discredited by modern biology.

Spirits also appear in folklore as ghosts or departed souls. In everyday language, "spirits" refers to distilled alcoholic beverages, such as vodka, whiskey, or rum. The term appears in idioms and names, for example "team spirit" or "spirit of inquiry."

Overall, the sense of "spirit" depends on cultural and disciplinary context, ranging from metaphysical and religious to psychological, cultural, and secular uses.