spirit | Dictionaries | Morcus Latin Tools

• spirit:

I. Orig. sense: the breath: spīrĭtus, ūs: v. breath.
II. Animating principle:

1. ănĭma (vital principle; in man or in brutes): v. soul.
2. spīrĭtus (not class. in this sense): Vulg. Eccl. iii. 21: et pass. (= Gr. πνεῦμα). See also soul.

III. Intelligence apart from body; an immaterial being, human or otherwise:

1. mens, ntis, f.: God is a pure s., Deus est mens soluta quaedam et libera [segregata ab omni concretione mortali], Cic. Tusc. 1, 27, 66: the stars are animated by divine s.s, stellae divinis m. animatae sunt, id. Rep. 6, 15, med.
2. spīrĭtus (not class. in this sense): God is a s., s. est Deus, Vulg. Joh. iv. 24: the Holy S., Sanctus S., ib. pass.
3. ănĭma: Virg. Aen. 6, 713: v. soul.

IV. Esp. in pl., the dead as living in another state; disembodied spirits:

1. ănĭmae: the s.s of the blest, piae a., Hor. Od. 1, 10, 17: Virg.
2. mānes, ium, m. (used both of the departed spirit of an individual and of the community of spirits): v. shade (IV.). The world of s.s, infĕri, orum; later, Orcus: v. shade (V.).

V. As syn. for mind or soul, but usu. with a somewhat higher conception:

1. ănĭmus: a lofty s., animus excelsus magnificusque, Cic. Off. 1, 23, init.: a magnus elatusque, ib. 1, 18, 61: cf. Sall. Cat. 5, a. vastus, an unbounded (ambitious) s.: v. mind, soul.
2. ingĕnium: a lofty and elevated s., sublime et erectum i., Tac. Agr. 4: so, i. excelsum, Plin. Ep.

VI. Vivacity and energy of mind:

1. ănĭmus: our men are imbued with fresh s., nostris augetur animus, Caes. B. G. 7, 70: be of good s. (courage), ades animo! Cic. Rep. 6, 10: also pl.: (the goddess) imparts s., animos dat, Ov. M. 5, 47. Hence, full of s., ănĭmōsus (whether of men or animals): Cic.: Ov.: v. spirited.
2. spīrĭtus, ūs (high s.): a man of immense s. (with the accessory idea of pride and ambition), ingentis s. vir, Liv. 21, 1: esp. pl., of an overbearing and arrogant s.: Cic. Clu. 39, 109 (noratis animos ejus ac s. tribunicios): Liv.
3. vis, vĭgor: v. vigour, energy. Lacking s.: ignāvus: v. spiritless, cowardly. Phr.: I am in wonderful s.s for fighting, sum mira alacritate ad pugnandum, Cic. Att. 2, 7.

VII. Animation and energy of style:

1. vĭgor (appy. not in Cic.): Join: quantum vigoris, quantum animi [in illo libro], Sen. Ep. 64, 2.
2. ănĭmus (late in this use): plenty of thought and of s. (in an orator), et consilii et animi satis, Quint. 10, 1, 113: cf. Sen. l. c.
3. nervi, orum (sinew, i. e. force and energy: a stronger term than Eng.): cf. Cic. Or. 19, 62, horum oratio neque nervos neque aculeos (pungency) oratorios ac forenses habet.
4. very oft. expr. by adj.: full of spirit, acer, vehemens, animosus: v. spirited. Lacking s., frigidus, lentus: v. flat, dull, spiritless.

VIII. Temper or disposition:

1. ingĕnium, indŏles (both denoting natural, and so permanent character): a manly s., ingenium virile, Sall. C. 20: a virtuous s., virtutis indoles, Cic. Off. 3, 4, 16: v. disposition, temper, mind.
2. ănĭmus (attitude of mind at any given time): you ought to display this s. towards me, hoc a. in nos esse debebis, Cic. Fam. 2, 1, extr.: animated by a friendly s. towards the R. people, bono a. in P. R., Caes. B. G. 1, 6: Suet. So animatus (influenced by a certain s.): entertaining a bad s. (disaffected) towards, male animatus erga ..., Suet. Vit. 7: so, bene animatus, Nep. Cim. 2.
3. stŭdium (strong or eager bent of mind): a warlike s., s. bellicae gloriae, Cic. Off. 1, 18, 61: the s. of inquiry after truth, s. ad investigandam veritatem incitatum, id. Tusc. 5, 24, 68: a revolutionary s., novandi s. rerum novarum s. (cupiditas): v. revolution (III.).
4. mens (both of permanent and temporary features of mind): a virtuous s., m. bona, Liv. 39, 16, med.: Ter.: the s. of (prevailing in) the armies, m. exercituum, Tac. H. 1, 4.
5. often such phrr. as a kindly s., a hostile s., may be expr. by a single word: v. kindness, hostility, etc.

IX. Peculiar or prevailing sentiment and complexion; esp. of an age or a nation:

1. perh. rătio: cf. Cic. Verr. 5, 69, 177, ratio atque inclinatio temporum (the s. and tendency of the age): the s. of the oratory of each age, cujusque aetatis dicendi ratio voluntasque, id. de Or. 2, 22, 92.
2. mōres: since the s. of the age inclines to ..., quum hi mores ad ... incubuerint, id. Q. Fr. 1, 1, 3: so, quum ita se mores habent, Sall. Cat. 52, med.
3. sēcŭlum (fashion or s. of the age; in unfavourable sense): cf. Tac. Ger., nec corrumpere et corrumpi seculum vocatur: also Pl. Trin. 2, 2, 7, novi ego hoc s. quibus moribus slet. Phr.: he exercised office in the same s. in which he had sought it, quibus artibus petierat magistratus, iisdem gerebat, Liv. 7, 33. (See Nägels. Stil. § 67, 2.)

X. Intention; as distinguished from mere verbal expression:

1. vŏluntas: whether to abide by the letter or s. of laws, verbis legum an voluntate standum sit, Quint. 7, 10, 6: Cic. Join: voluntas et sententia (legis), Cic. Verr. 3, 84, 193: voluntas et consilium et sententia (interdicti), id. Caec. 18, 50.
2. consĭlium (intention): Cic. Caec. l. c.: cf. ib. paulo infr., ad verba rem deflectere, consilium autem eorum qui scripserunt relinquere (to sacrifice the spirit to the letter).
3. sententia (meaning): like consilium, may be strengthened by a synonym: v. supr. Phr.: to obey the letter or the s. of a command, ad verba obedire, ad id quod ex verbis intelligitur obtemperare, Cic. Caec. 18, 52: not to translate literally, but to give the s. of an author, *non verbum verbo reddere sed mentem sententiamque scriptoris referre; *potius ex mente scriptoris quam ex verbis interpretari.

XI. Meton., a person, as marked by certain intellectual qualities: ingĕnium: cf. Tac. Agr. 2, monumenta clarissimorum ingeniorum (of those illustrious spirits): also Sall. Cat. 8, scriptorum magna ingenia. Phr.: a choice s., *singulari virtute atque ingenio vir: eximiae mentis indolis homo: a generous s., *vir generosus ac liberalis (v. generous): a beautiful s., *venustissimi candidissimique ingenii homo.
XII. Theol., the renewed nature of man: spīrĭtus: Vulg.
XIII. Chem., a distilled fluid: spīrĭtus: used as scient. t. t.: also lĭquor (tenuissimus, nobilissimus, efficacissimus): Bauer in Kr.

• SPIRIT

Anything eminently refined, inflammable liquor raised by distillation, perhaps *spiritus (technical term): *liquor acrior (Georges): liquor tenuissimus, nobilissimus, efficacissimus (Bau; Plaut. says, flos vini). Hence
Essential quality, flos: medulla. The spirit of Luther’s works, flores e Lutheri scriptis decerpti (after Plin., 14, 1, extr.).
Figuratively, Liveliness, vivacity (of style), spiritus sanguis (freshness): to borrow from poets the art of giving a subject spirit and life, a poetis in rebus spiritum petere (Quint., 10, 1, 27): in Archilochus we find great spirit and life, in Archilocho plurimum sanguinis atque nervorum (Quint., 10, 1, 60).
The soul, powers of the human mind, animus (the vital power, the sensitive and appetitive nature, τὸ ἐπιθυμητικός, ὁ θυμός; then the whole spiritual nature of man; opposed to corpus): mens (the intellect, ὁ νοῦς): anima (in the best writers, denotes the principle of life = spiritus, πνεῦμα; it is only in later prose writers that it obtains the meaning of animus): spiritus (almost = anima, the breath of life; then, also, those properties of the mind which answer to our “high spirit,” energy, inspiration, etc.): ingenium (intellectual powers, talent, especially the creative or inventive faculty). (The words are found in this connection and order.) animus et mens: A great or lofty spirit, animus magnus, excelsus, altus; ingenium magnum, excelsum: a man of great spirit, animus magnus; vir magni ingenii: noble or choice spirits, clarissima ingenia: an inferior spirit, ingenium parvum, pusillum; homo parvi ingenii (of a person): a philosophical spirit, subtilitas (in disputando); vir subtilis, sagax (of the parson): to have great spirit, magno ingenio esse; ingenio abundare: to show spirit, signa dare ingenii.
The prevailing opinion or constitution of mind, also that which principally guides the actions, animus: mens: studium alicujus rei (inclination to anything). A servile spirit, animus servilis: a spirit of contradiction, *obloquendi studium: a spirit of novelty, rerum novarum or novandarum studium: a spirit of private gain, *privatae utilitatis studium: a warlike spirit, gloriae bellicae studium; studium bellicum.
Peculiar manner of thinking and acting, ingenium (peculiar turn or constitution of mind): natura (natural quality or stale): proprietas (property): ratio (peculiar manner and way): mens (the peculiar mode of thinking; hence, also, the sense attached by a writer to his words; opposed to verba; Vid: Paullus, Dig., 19, 4, 19): voluntas, or (ad Her., 2, 10) scriptoris voluntas (that which a writer means to say, that which he had in his mind when he wrote; opposed to scriptum, verba, or litterae = literal meaning, the letter; Vid: Cic., Caecin., 23, 65; De Invent., 1, 4, 19); also, voluntatis conjectura (opposed to verborum proprietas): sententia (idea contained in what is said, etc; opposed to verbum ac littera; Vid: Cic., Caecin. 27, 77): id quod ex verbis intelligi potest (opposed to the words themselves): ☞ Genius, in this sense, is not Latin. Whether the spirit should be followed or the letter, verbis standum sit an voluntate (Quint.): to follow the spirit against the letter, a voluntate et contra scriptum judicare de re (ad Herenn.): the letter against the spirit, verba et litteras sequi, negligere voluntatem: to obey the letter, not the spirit, of a law, command, etc., ad verba alicui obedire, non ad id, quod ex verbis intelligi potest, obtemperare: to preserve the spirit of an author without tying one’s self down to a strictly literal translation, non verbum pro verbo reddere, sed genus omne verborum vimque servare. The spirit of eloquence among the Greeks in each successive age, can be learnt from their writings, ex Graecorum scriptis cujuscumque aetatis quae dicendi ratio voluntasque fuerit, intelligi potest: to comprehend the spirit of a writer, mentem (☞ not genium) scriptoris assequi; ad voluntatem scriptoris accedere: the spirit of Laelius seems also, to breathe in his writings, videtur Laelii mens etiam spirare in scriptis: the spirit of the Greek language, *Graecae linguae natura: spirit of the age [Vid: AGE].
A simple incorporeal being, with the power of thought and will, perhaps spiritus (Sen., Ep., 41, in., sacer intra nos spiritus sedet): anima quae relicto corpore errare solet (after death, according to Plin., 7, 52, 53). The Holy Spirit, Spiritus Sacer; Deus (e.g., Deus tecum est, intus est, with Sen., loc. cit.): God is a Spirit, Deus est mens soluta quaedam et libera, segregata ab omni concretione mortali (with Cic., Tusc., 1, 27, 66): an evil spirit, daemon (Lactantius, 2, 14, sqq.): the spirits of the dead, lemures (general term); manes (souls of the dead regarded with awe, as being no longer connected with matter, but like shades) lares (good spirits, worshipped as domestic gods); larvae, maniae (bad spirits, supposed to wander about at night as ghosts); pii (the pure spirits; Vid: Cic., Phil., 14, 12, 32); umbrae, especially with infernae (shades of the departed in the lower regions): the world of spirits, *quidquid sine corpore viget (everything incorporeal): coelestia, -ium, neuter (in heaven): piorum sedes et locus (habitation of the pious, blessed). To enter the world of (happy) spirits, piorum sedem et locum consequi.

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