spirituel

Spirituel is a French adjective meaning related to the spirit, the soul, or religion. It also describes wit or cleverness when referring to humor or to a person. In religious contexts it denotes matters of inner life or spirituality; in secular usage it signals refined humor or a quick, lively intellect, as in expressions like humour spirituel or in reference to an esprit spirituel.

Etymology: The term derives from Latin spiritualis “of the spirit,” passing into Old French spirituel. The spiritual sense is ancient and common in religious writing; the sense “witty” or “clever” arises from the association with esprit (mind, wit) and developed in medieval and early modern discourse.

Usage: In modern French, spirituel most commonly refers to spirituality or spiritual life, with phrases such as vie spirituelle or enseignement spirituel. It also denotes wit or refined humor, in contexts like humour spirituel. The adverb is spirituellement, and the adjective agrees with the noun in gender and number (spirituel, spirituelle, spirituels, spirituelles).

See also: spiritualité, esprit, esprit critique. Note that in English-language contexts the word is usually translated as spiritual when referring to religion, or as witty when describing humor; the French sense of inner life and devotional practice can be stronger than the English equivalent.