spiritual
- of, relating to, or consisting of spirit; incorporeal.
- of or relating to the spirit or soul, as distinguished from the physical nature: a spiritual approach to life.
- closely akin in interests, attitude, outlook, etc.: the professor's spiritual heir in linguistics.
- of or relating to spirits or to spiritualists; supernatural or spiritualistic.
- characterized by or suggesting predominance of the spirit; ethereal or delicately refined: She is more of a spiritual type than her rowdy brother.
- of or relating to the spirit as the seat of the moral or religious nature.
- of or relating to sacred things or matters; religious; devotional; sacred.
- of or belonging to the church; ecclesiastical: lords spiritual and temporal.
- of or relating to the mind or intellect.
- a spiritual or religious song: authentic folk spirituals.
- spirituals, affairs of the church.
- a spiritual thing or matter.
Origin of spiritual
Examples from the Web for spirituals
Historical Examples
It divided the order into two schools, the conventuals and the spirituals.
FolkwaysWilliam Graham Sumner
His work was wonderful to me both in spirituals and temporals.
Biographia Scoticana (Scots Worthies)John Howie
For the persecution of the Spirituals generally see Lea, vol.
Medival Heresy and the InquisitionA. S. Turberville
My spirituals from God and the Pope, my temporals from the King.
Life of Thomas BecketHenry Hart Milman
As Provincial of Aquitaine he had persecuted the Spirituals.
A History of The Inquisition of The Middle Ages; volume IIIHenry Charles Lea
spiritual
- relating to the spirit or soul and not to physical nature or matter; intangible
- of, relating to, or characteristic of sacred things, the Church, religion, etc
- standing in a relationship based on communication between the souls or minds of the persons involveda spiritual father
- having a mind or emotions of a high and delicately refined quality
- See Negro spiritual
- (often plural) the sphere of religious, spiritual, or ecclesiastical matters, or such matters in themselves
- the spiritual the realm of spirits
Word Origin and History for spirituals
spiritual
adj.
"of or concerning the spirit" (especially in religious aspects), c.1300, from Old French spirituel (12c.), from Latin spiritualis, from spiritus "of breathing, of the spirit" (see spirit (n.)). Meaning "of or concerning the church" is attested from mid-14c. The noun sense of "African-American religious song" first recorded 1866.
spirituals
Religious songs of African-Americans, often written with freer rhythms and harmonies than most standard hymns. Spirituals, many of which go back to the days of slavery, often speak of biblical models of deliverance, like the Exodus. Some well-known spirituals are “Gonna Lay Down My Burden,” “Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho,” “Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen,” “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” and “When the Saints Go Marching In.”
spirituals
A kind of religious song originated by African-Americans. Spirituals are often written with freer rhythms and harmonies than most standard hymns. Many of them go back to the days of slavery, and they often speak of biblical models of deliverance, such as the Exodus. Several spirituals have become standard pieces of music for concert singers and choruses. “Gonna Lay Down My Burden,” “Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho,” “Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen,” “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” and “When the Saints Go Marching In” are spirituals.