n.
Pronunciation: ' spir-i-ch ə -w ə l, -i-ch ə l, -ich-w ə l
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French & Late Latin; Anglo-French espirital, spiritual, from Late Latin spiritualis, from Latin, of breathing, of wind, from spiritus
Date: 14th century
1 : of, relating to, consisting of, or affecting the spirit : INCORPOREAL < spiritual needs>
2 a : of or relating to sacred matters < spiritual songs> b : ecclesiastical rather than lay or temporal < spiritual authority> <lords spiritual >
3 : concerned with religious values
4 : related or joined in spirit <our spiritual home> <his spiritual heir>
5 a : of or relating to supernatural beings or phenomena b : of, relating to, or involving spiritualism : SPIRITUALISTIC
– spir · i · tu · al · ly adverb
– spir · i · tu · al · ness noun