What is "holy spirit"

Holy \Ho"ly\, a. [Compar. Holier; superl. Holiest.] [OE. holi, hali, AS. h[=a]lig, fr. h[ae]l health, salvation, happiness, fr. h[=a]l whole, well; akin to OS. h?lag, D. & G. heilig, OHG. heilac, Dan. hellig, Sw. helig, Icel. heilagr. See Whole, and cf. Halibut, Halidom, Hallow, Hollyhock.]

1. Set apart to the service or worship of God; hallowed; sacred; reserved from profane or common use; holy vessels; a holy priesthood. ``Holy rites and solemn feasts.''
   --Milton.

2. Spiritually whole or sound; of unimpaired innocence and virtue; free from sinful affections; pure in heart; godly; pious; irreproachable; guiltless; acceptable to God. Now through her round of holy thought The Church our annual steps has brought. --Keble. Holy Alliance (Hist.), a league ostensibly for conserving religion, justice, and peace in Europe, but really for repressing popular tendencies toward constitutional government, entered into by Alexander I. of Russia, Francis I. of Austria, and Frederic William III. of Prussia, at Paris, on the 26th of September, 1815, and subsequently joined by all the sovereigns of Europe, except the pope and the king of England. Holy bark. See Cascara sagrada. Holy Communion. See Eucharist. Holy family (Art), a picture in which the infant Christ, his parents, and others of his family are represented. Holy Father, a title of the pope. Holy Ghost (Theol.), the third person of the Trinity; the Comforter; the Paraclete. Holy Grail. See Grail. Holy grass (Bot.), a sweet-scented grass ( Hierochloa borealis and Hierochloa alpina). In the north of Europe it was formerly strewed before church doors on saints' days; whence the name. It is common in the northern and western parts of the United States. Called also vanilla grass or Seneca grass. Holy Innocents' day, Childermas day. Holy Land, Palestine, the birthplace of Christianity. Holy office, the Inquisition. Holy of holies (Script.), the innermost apartment of the Jewish tabernacle or temple, where the ark was kept, and where no person entered, except the high priest once a year. Holy One.

   1. The Supreme Being; -- so called by way of emphasis. `` The Holy One of Israel.''
      --Is. xliii. 14.

   2. One separated to the service of God. Holy orders. See Order. Holy rood, the cross or crucifix, particularly one placed, in churches. over the entrance to the chancel. Holy rope, a plant, the hemp agrimony. Holy Saturday (Eccl.), the Saturday immediately preceding the festival of Easter; the vigil of Easter. Holy Spirit, same as Holy Ghost (above). Holy Spirit plant. See Dove plant. Holy thistle (Bot.), the blessed thistle. See under Thistle. Holy Thursday. (Eccl.)

      1. (Episcopal Ch.) Ascension day.

      2. (R. C. Ch.) The Thursday in Holy Week; Maundy Thursday.

         Holy war, a crusade; an expedition carried on by Christians against the Saracens in the Holy Land, in the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth centuries, for the possession of the holy places.

         Holy water (Gr. & R. C. Churches), water which has been blessed by the priest for sacred purposes.

         Holy-water stoup, the stone stoup or font placed near the entrance of a church, as a receptacle for holy water.

         Holy Week (Eccl.), the week before Easter, in which the passion of our Savior is commemorated.

         Holy writ, the sacred Scriptures. `` Word of holy writ.''
         --Wordsworth.

Spirit \Spir"it\, n. [OF. espirit, esperit, F. esprit, L. spiritus, from spirare to breathe, to blow. Cf. Conspire, Expire, Esprit, Sprite.]

1. Air set in motion by breathing; breath; hence, sometimes, life itself. [Obs.] ``All of spirit would deprive.''
   --Spenser.

   The mild air, with season moderate, Gently attempered, and disposed eo well, That still it breathed foorth sweet spirit.
   --Spenser.

2. A rough breathing; an aspirate, as the letter h; also, a mark to denote aspiration; a breathing. [Obs.]

   Be it a letter or spirit, we have great use for it.
   --B. Jonson.

3. Life, or living substance, considered independently of corporeal existence; an intelligence conceived of apart from any physical organization or embodiment; vital essence, force, or energy, as distinct from matter.

4. The intelligent, immaterial and immortal part of man; the soul, in distinction from the body in which it resides; the agent or subject of vital and spiritual functions, whether spiritual or material.

   There is a spirit in man; and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.
   --Job xxxii. 8.

   As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
   --James ii. 26.

   Spirit is a substance wherein thinking, knowing, doubting, and a power of moving, do subsist.
   --Locke.

5. Specifically, a disembodied soul; the human soul after it has left the body.

   Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
   --Eccl. xii. 7.

   Ye gentle spirits far away, With whom we shared the cup of grace.
   --Keble.

6. Any supernatural being, good or bad; an apparition; a specter; a ghost; also, sometimes, a sprite,; a fairy; an elf.

   Whilst young, preserve his tender mind from all impressions of spirits and goblins in the dark.
   --Locke.

7. Energy, vivacity, ardor, enthusiasm, courage, etc.

   ``Write it then, quickly,'' replied Bede; and summoning all his spirits together, like the last blaze of a candle going out, he indited it, and expired.
   --Fuller.

8. One who is vivacious or lively; one who evinces great activity or peculiar characteristics of mind or temper; as, a ruling spirit; a schismatic spirit.

   Such spirits as he desired to please, such would I choose for my judges.
   --Dryden.

9. Temper or disposition of mind; mental condition or disposition; intellectual or moral state; -- often in the plural; as, to be cheerful, or in good spirits; to be downhearted, or in bad spirits.

   God has . . . made a spirit of building succeed a spirit of pulling down.
   --South.

   A perfect judge will read each work of wit With the same spirit that its author writ.
   --Pope.

10. Intent; real meaning; -- opposed to the letter, or to formal statement; also, characteristic quality, especially such as is derived from the individual genius or the personal character; as, the spirit of an enterprise, of a document, or the like.

11. Tenuous, volatile, airy, or vapory substance, possessed of active qualities.

    All bodies have spirits . . . within them.
    --Bacon.

12. Any liquid produced by distillation; especially, alcohol, the spirits, or spirit, of wine (it having been first distilled from wine): -- often in the plural.

13. pl. Rum, whisky, brandy, gin, and other distilled liquors having much alcohol, in distinction from wine and malt liquors.

14. (Med.) A solution in alcohol of a volatile principle. Cf. Tincture.
    --U. S. Disp.

15. (Alchemy) Any one of the four substances, sulphur, sal ammoniac, quicksilver, or arsenic (or, according to some, orpiment).

    The four spirits and the bodies seven.
    --Chaucer.

16. (Dyeing) Stannic chloride. See under Stannic. Note: Spirit is sometimes joined with other words, forming compounds, generally of obvious signification; as, spirit-moving, spirit-searching, spirit-stirring, etc. Astral spirits, Familiar spirits, etc. See under Astral, Familiar, etc. Animal spirits.

    1. (Physiol.) The fluid which at one time was supposed to circulate through the nerves and was regarded as the agent of sensation and motion; -- called also the nervous fluid, or nervous principle.

    2. Physical health and energy; frolicsomeness; sportiveness. Ardent spirits, strong alcoholic liquors, as brandy, rum, whisky, etc., obtained by distillation. Holy Spirit, or The Spirit (Theol.), the Spirit of God, or the third person of the Trinity; the Holy Ghost. The spirit also signifies the human spirit as influenced or animated by the Divine Spirit. Proof spirit. (Chem.) See under Proof. Rectified spirit (Chem.), spirit rendered purer or more concentrated by redistillation, so as to increase the percentage of absolute alcohol. Spirit butterfly (Zo["o]l.), any one of numerous species of delicate butterflies of tropical America belonging to the genus Ithomia. The wings are gauzy and nearly destitute of scales. Spirit duck. (Zo["o]l.)

       1. The buffle-headed duck.

       2. The golden-eye.

          Spirit lamp (Art), a lamp in which alcohol or methylated spirit is burned.

          Spirit level. See under Level.

          Spirit of hartshorn. (Old Chem.) See under Hartshorn.

          Spirit of Mindererus (Med.), an aqueous solution of acetate of ammonium; -- named after R. Minderer, physician of Augsburg.

          Spirit of nitrous ether (Med. Chem.), a pale yellow liquid, of a sweetish taste and a pleasant ethereal odor. It is obtained by the distillation of alcohol with nitric and sulphuric acids, and consists essentially of ethyl nitrite with a little acetic aldehyde. It is used as a diaphoretic, diuretic, antispasmodic, etc. Called also sweet spirit of niter.

          Spirit of salt (Chem.), hydrochloric acid; -- so called because obtained from salt and sulphuric acid. [Obs.]

          Spirit of sense, the utmost refinement of sensation. [Obs.]
          --Shak.

          Spirits of turpentine, or Spirit of turpentine (Chem.), rectified oil of turpentine, a transparent, colorless, volatile, and very inflammable liquid, distilled from the turpentine of the various species of pine; camphine. It is commonly used to remove paint from surfaces, or to dissole oil-based paint. See Camphine.

          Spirit of vitriol (Chem.), sulphuric acid; -- so called because formerly obtained by the distillation of green vitriol. [Obs.]

          Spirit of vitriolic ether (Chem.) ethyl ether; -- often but incorrectly called sulphuric ether. See Ether. [Obs.]

          Spirits of wine, or Spirit of wine (Chem.), alcohol; -- so called because formerly obtained by the distillation of wine.

          Spirit rapper, one who practices spirit rapping; a ``medium'' so called.

          Spirit rapping, an alleged form of communication with the spirits of the dead by raps. See Spiritualism, 3.

          Sweet spirit of niter. See Spirit of nitrous ether, above.

          Syn: Life; ardor; energy; fire; courage; animatioon; cheerfulness; vivacity; enterprise.

Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost is a term found in English translations of the Bible that is understood differently among the Abrahamic religions.

Holy Spirit is a term found in English translations of the Bible, but understood differently among the Abrahamic religions.

Holy Spirit may refer to:

Christian denominations have variations in their teachings regarding the Holy Spirit.

A well-known example is the Filioque controversy, the debates centering on whether the Nicene Creed should state that the Spirit "proceeds from the Father" and then have a stop, as the creed was initially adopted in Greek (and followed thereafter by the Eastern Church), or should say "from the Father and the Son" as was later adopted in Latin and followed by the Western Church, "filioque" being "and the Son" in Latin.

The majority of mainstream Protestantism hold similar views on the theology of the Holy Spirit as the Roman Catholic Church, but there are significant differences in belief between Pentecostalism and the rest of Protestantism. The more recent Charismatic movements have a focus on the " gifts of the Spirit", but often differ from Pentecostal movements.

Non-trinitarian views about the Holy Spirit differ significantly from mainstream Christian doctrine.