Spiration, spī-rā′shun, n. a breathing: (theol.) the procession of the Holy Ghost.
Spire, spīr, n. a winding line like the threads of a screw: a curl: a wreath: a tapering body, a slender stalk, a shoot or sprout: any one of various tall grasses, rushes, or sedges—the Marram, Reed canary-grass, &c.: the top or summit of anything: a very acute pyramidal roof in common use over the towers of churches.—v.i. to sprout, shoot up.—v.t. to furnish with a spire.—adjs. Spīred, having a spire; Spir′ulate, spiral in form or arrangement; Spī′ry, of a spiral form: wreathed: tapering like a spire or a pyramid: abounding in spires. [Fr.,—L. spira; Gr. speira, anything wound round or upon a thing; akin to eirein, to fasten together in rows.]
Spiric, spī′rik, adj. like a tore or anchor-ring.—n. a curve, the plane section of a tore.—n. Spir′icle, one of those threads in the hairs on the surface of certain seeds and achenes which uncoil when wet.
Spirifer, spir′i-fėr, n. a brachiopod of the Carboniferous system.—adjs. Spīrif′erine; Spīrif′eroid; Spīrif′erous. [L. spira, a spire, ferre, to bear.]
Spirillum, spī-ril′um, n. a genus of bacteria with cylindrical spirally twisted cells:—pl. Spirill′a.
Spirit, spir′it, n. vital force: the soul: a ghost: mental disposition: enthusiasm, animation, courage, mettle: real meaning: essence, chief quality: a very lively person: any volatile, inflammable liquid obtained by distillation, as brandy: (pl.) intellectual activity: liveliness: persons with particular qualities of mind: mental excitement: spirituous liquors.—v.t. to inspirit, encourage, cheer: to convey away secretly, to kidnap.—ns. Spir′it-blue, an aniline blue obtained from coal-tar; Spir′it-duck, the buffle-head, from its rapid diving.—adj. Spir′ited, full of spirit, life, or fire: animated.—adv. Spir′itedly.—n. Spir′itedness.—adj. Spir′itful.—n. Spir′iting, the office of a spirit or sprite; Spir′itism=Spiritualism; Spir′itist=Spiritualist; Spir′it-lamp, a lamp in which alcohol is burned, generally used for heating.—adj. Spir′itless, without spirit, cheerfulness, or courage: dejected: dead.—adv. Spir′itlessly.—ns. Spir′itlessness, the state of being spiritless: want of animation or energy; Spir′it-lev′el, in surveying, a cylindrical glass tube, slightly convex on one side, and so nearly filled with alcohol that only a small bubble of air remains inside—from the position of the bubble the amount of variation from perfect levelness is determined.—adj. Spir′itous, of the nature of spirit, pure: ardent, spirituous.—ns. Spir′itousness; Spir′it-rap′per, one to whom spirits convey intelligence by raps or knocks; Spir′it-rap′ping.—adjs. Spir′it-stir′ring, rousing the spirit; Spir′itūal, consisting of spirit: having the nature of a spirit: immaterial: relating to the mind: intellectual: pertaining to the soul: holy: divine: relating to sacred things: not lay or temporal.—n. Spiritualisā′tion.—v.t. Spir′itūalise, to make spiritual: to imbue with spirituality: to refine: to free from sensuality: to give a spiritual meaning to.—ns. Spir′itualiser; Spir′itualism, a being spiritual: the philosophical doctrine that nothing is real but soul or spirit: the doctrine that spirit has a real existence apart from matter: the name applied to a varied series of abnormal phenomena purporting to be for the most part caused by spiritual beings acting upon specially sensitive persons or mediums; Spir′itūalist, one who has a regard only to spiritual things: one who holds the doctrine of spiritualism or spiritism.—adj. Spiritūalist′ic, relating to, or connected with, spiritualism.—n. Spiritūal′ity, state of being spiritual: essence distinct from matter.—adv. Spir′itūally.—ns. Spir′itūal-mind′edness, the state of having holy affections; Spir′itūalness, the state or quality of being spiritual.—adj. Spi′ritūelle, showing great grace and delicacy.—n. Spiritūos′ity, spirituous character: immateriality.—advs. Spirit-uō′so, Spiritō′so (mus.), with spirit or animation.—adj. Spir′itūous, possessing the qualities of spirit: containing much alcohol: volatile.—ns. Spir′itūousness, the quality of being spirituous: stimulating quality: ardour: activity; Spir′itus, a breathing, an aspirate: any spirituous preparation; Spir′itworld, the world of disembodied spirits.—adj. Spir′ity (Scot.), full of spirit, spirited.—Spirit of wine, alcohol; Spiritual court, an ecclesiastical court; Spiritus asper, a rough breathing; Spiritus lenis, a soft or smooth breathing.—Animal spirits, constitutional liveliness of spirits; Holy Spirit (see under Holy); The Spirit, the Holy Spirit: the human spirit under the influence of the Holy Spirit. [L. spiritus, a breath—spirāre, to breathe.]
Spirket, spir′ket, n. a space forward and aft between floor-timbers.—n. Spir′ketting, quick-work.
Spirometer, spī-rom′e-tėr, n. an instrument for measuring the capacity of the lungs, or the quantity of air that one can breathe out after a forced inspiration.—n. Spī′rograph, an instrument for marking down the breathing movement.—adj. Spīromet′ric.—ns. Spīrom′etry; Spī′rophore, an apparatus for inducing artificial respiration by means of an air-tight case for the body and an air-pump; Spīroph′yton, a genus of fossil algæ found in the Devonian in New York state; Spīrozō′oid, the filamentous defensive zooid of certain hydroids, coiled spirally when not in action. [L. spirāre, to breathe, Gr. metron, a measure.]
Spirt, spėrt. Same as Spurt.
Spirtle=Spurtle (q.v.).