incorporeal

American  

[in-kawr-pawr-ee-uhl, -pohr-] / ˌɪn kɔrˈpɔr i əl, -ˈpoʊr- /

adjective

1. not corporeal or material; insubstantial.

   Synonyms:

   immaterial, spiritual, bodiless

2. of, relating to, or characteristic of nonmaterial beings.

3. Law. without material existence but existing in contemplation of law, as a franchise.

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incorporeal British  

/ ɪnˌkɔːpəˈriːɪtɪ, ˌɪnkɔːˈpɔːrɪəl /

adjective

1. without material form, body, or substance

2. spiritual or metaphysical

3. law having no material existence but existing by reason of its annexation of something material, such as an easement, touchline, copyright, etc

   an incorporeal hereditament

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Other Word Forms

• incorporeality
  noun
• incorporeally
  adverb
• incorporeity
  noun

Etymology

Origin of incorporeal

1525–35; < Latin incorpore ( us ) + -al ¹. See in- ³, corporeal

Explanation

Something that has no material form or physical substance can be described as incorporeal. If you believe in spirits or ghosts that can't be touched or seen but only felt, then you believe in the incorporeal. Incorporeal comes from a combination of the Latin root words in- meaning "not" and corpus meaning "body." Combined they form incorporeus, meaning "without body," which is precisely what something incorporeal is. A haunted house is plagued by incorporeal, or immaterial spirits. You don't see them, but they are there, rattling windows, slamming doors, scaring the living daylights out of you.

Example Sentences

The word AUM, says the Ramayan, represents "The Being of Beings, One Substance in three forms; without mode, without quality, without passion: Immense, Incomprehensible, Infinite, Indivisible, Immutable, Incorporeal, Irresistible."

From Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry by Pike, Albert

They are drilled in Incorporeal Hereditaments, but do not learn what kind of causes can be tried before a Justice of the Peace.

From Civil Government for Common Schools by Northam, Henry C.

And from hence he concluded, that this Essence was Incorporeal, and free from all the Properties of Body.

From The Improvement of Human Reason Exhibited in the Life of Hai Ebn Yokdhan by Tufail, Ibn

But an Incorporeal Being, which has no dependance upon Body, but is altogether free from the Accidents proper to Body, cannot be suppos'd to be liable to Corruption.

From The Improvement of Human Reason Exhibited in the Life of Hai Ebn Yokdhan by Tufail, Ibn

Only one side of each dichotomy is followed out in the 'tree': if the other side had been taken, Incorporeal Substance would be 'Spirit'; which might be similarly subdivided.

From Logic Deductive and Inductive by Read, Carveth