I. ˈspir-i-chə-wəl, -i-chəl, -ich-wəl 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
II. noun
Date: 1582
1. plural : things of a spiritual, ecclesiastical, or religious nature
2. : a religious song usually of a deeply emotional character that was developed especially among blacks in the southern United States
3. capitalized : any of a party of 13th and 14th century Franciscans advocating strict observance of a rule of poverty for their order