# spirit, soul, self, ghost



## Abu Bishr

Hi all

What I found interesting is that I know of two words in Arabic for the words: spirit, soul or self, namely, *ruH* (spirit, soul) & *nafs* (spirit, soul, self). Both these Arabic words can somehow be connected to breath or wind, e.g. *ruH* is connected to *riH* (wind) and *nafs* to *nafas* (breath). Now, this comes close - in my mind - to the word "spirit" because it seems also to be connected to "breath" because of words such as "respire", "inspire", etc. Moreover, in Arabic the spirit or soul is said to be breathed / blown into the body. This could be that the spirit is seen as almost like a wind which is invisible to the eye but its effects can nevertheless be felt and observed, as well as the perception that the soul or spirit is breath-like such that it is breathed into bodies.

My question is two-fold:
(a) I'm I right in assuming that "spirit" in English is connected to "breath" or "wind" and,
(b) what do other languages have for "spirit, soul, self & (possibly) ghost", and are they also connected to breath or wind.

*Afrikaans*: 
siel (soul)
gees (spirit / ghost)
self (self)

In Afrikaans the word for breath is "asem" and for breathing "asemhaal". I can't seem to see a connection of "siel", "gees", & "self" to breath or wind here.

There is also the word "spook" for ghost but this is more like ghost in ghost-stories.


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## ffrreeaakk

I've never thought about that, but it seems that in Polish I could also find such similarities.
The first thing is that _duch_ (spirit) and _dusza (soul)_ are already similar. Then polish word for breath is _oddech_ or _dech_ which seems to be connected to _spirit_ and going further _blow of wind _indeed!

duch (spirit/ghost) († breath)
dusza (soul)
oddech (breath)
dech (blow / breath)
wdech (inhale the air)
wydech (exhale the air / car exhaust)


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## HKK

Abu Bishr said:


> *Afrikaans*:
> siel (soul)
> gees (spirit / ghost)
> self (self)
> 
> In Afrikaans the word for breath is "asem" and for breathing "asemhaal". I can't seem to see a connection of "siel", "gees", & "self" to breath or wind here.



According to an etymological dictionary, the Germanic word ghost/gees/geest/... did have the meaning "breath". But it doesn't say any more.


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## J.F. de TROYES

(a) The etymology of "*spirit"* proves you right. "The Merriam-Webster" says :

Etymology: 
Middle English, from Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French, _espirit, spirit,_ from Latin _*spiritus*,_ literally, breath, from *spirare ,to blow, breathe *
Date: 
13th century 
So in all Romance languages such connections can be found : "e*spír*itu" (Spanish), *spir*ito (Italian), e*spr*it (French) mean "spirit" and "re*spir*ar", "re*spir*are", "re*spir*er" are equivalent to "to breathe" and there are many other examples

(b) I’d like to confirm this connection by looking to the etymology of words as “animate(d )” , or “animal”.

In old , but also modern Greek *“wind”* is said “ἄνεμος “ / άνεμος *(anemos*) which two Latin "twin"-nouns come from : the first ,"anima" (feminine) means "pull of air, breath of life, soul", the second "animus", "feeling, sentiment, courage"; these words gave *"alma"* in Spanish and Portuguese, *"anima*" in Italian, *"âme"* in French, which mean "*soul* " and their derivatives as "animal" in these languages ("animale" in Italian). So through the Romance etymology, but even studies of Indo-European roots ( the Sanskrit "aniti" or "anilaH", the wind, belongs to the same family as "anemos" ) , it is clear that the notions of wind, air, breathing on the one hand, of spirit or soul on the other are closely related.


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## noncasper

In Vietnamese:
Soul:Tâm hồn,Linh hồn
Ghost:Hồn ma
Spirit:Tinh thần


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## palomnik

Abu Bishr, your comments on the differences between _nafs _and _ruh _remind me of the works of some of the Sufi masters, who elaborate on the distinction.

But to get on to the topic, the German word _atmen, _meaning to breathe (and probably related to the Afrikaans word _asem _that you cite) are related via the original Indo-European root to the Sanskrit word _atman, _which means "soul", or "self", particularly n the sense of the universal self. 

Traditional Chinese uses the word _qi4_ - ki in Japanese - (氣) to express both air flow and breath. It's interesting to note that the word turns up in Chinese mystic texts relating to the flow of energy in the body, which brings it into line with the Sanskrit and Arabic usages.  _Feng1_, the Chinese word for wind - _kaze _in Japanese -  (風) is totally different, though.


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## kusurija

Czech:
duch (spirit/ghost)
duše (soul)
dech (breath)
vdech/výdech(inspire/exspire[breath])
vzduch(air)

Lithuanian:
vėlė(~ghost)
dvasia(spirit/soul)
(to be continued other day - sorry)


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## Whodunit

As for the German(ic) etymology, Palomnik is very right. The German word _atmen_ (to breathe) and _Atem_ (breath) are of Sanskrit origin from _ātmán_ (आत्मन) meaning "breath/exhalation". The origin of the Sanskrit word is unknown.

Here are the other words you wanted:

spirit: Geist (no similar word for _spirit_)
soul: Seele (probably related to _See_ "sea")
self: selbst (related to _selb_ meaning "the same"; same in Arabic, but this is another topic)
ghost: Geist


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## kusurija

kusurija said:


> Lithuanian:
> vėlė(~ghost)
> dvasia(spirit/soul)
> (to be continued other day - sorry)


vėlė(~ghost)[when body is just died] ~vėlinės(~Haloweens, 10-02)
ghost: vaiduoklis
dvasia -> dvasininkas(priest)
siela (soul)
dūšia, dušelė (from russian)
kvapas (1. last breath diing; 2. odour, smell)


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## domangelo

As has happened in many cases in English, the Latin derived word (spirit) has taken over the more prestigious meanings of the word and has left the Anglo-Saxon word (ghost) to do the dirty work. Spirit in English usually refers to the human soul or the life-giving energy in us. Ghost, on the other hand, usually refers to the creatures who look like white bedsheets and go "boo!". I say usually, because these bedsheets can also be called spirits in literary texts, and in one case at least, we can use ghost instead of spirit: when naming the third incarnation of God in Christian theology, people commonly say "The Holy Ghost", whereas more refined writings will refer to "The Holy Spirit".


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## ~ceLine~

In Turkish
Soul = Ruh
Ghost = Hayalet
Spirit = Ruh

In Greek
Soul = (η) ψυχή [psihI]
Ghost = (το) φάντασμα [fAndasma]
Spirit = (το) πνεύμα [pnefma]

In French
Soul = âme
Ghost = revenant
Spirit = esprit

In Italian
Soul = anima
Ghost = fantasma
Spirit = mente


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## Zsanna

... The Holy Spirit which is Spiritus Sanctus in Latin. But it still does not explain the connection with the wind (+ breathing). (Though it seems to me that there is sg in the Old Testament about it. But, unfortunately, I am not a connoisseur of the Bible.) 
It would be logical if it came from some very old "memory" of mankind. (Even if e.g. the Greeks - in their myths - called humans the germs of dragon teeth... but it may have been just on a bad day.)

Or maybe we should look at where spiritism has its roots. (Again I'm not an expert.) Where does the idea come from that humans are just a heap of mud and soul breathed into them? 
The golems are a heap of mud and don't have soul... I bet we could find lots of reference for the same sort of thing in all different cultures.

I would not be surprised though, if it were connected to a simple fact like the recognition of the benefits of right breathing. (See the yoga exercises, etc.)

In any case, the idea exists in Hungarian as well:

_soul_ - *lélek* (connected etimologically to "breathe = lehel/lélegzik") (although the same could be used - a bit poetically - for any apparition that gives us the impression of being or having once been a human being, like in English: "There wasn't a soul in the streets.")

_spirit/ghost_ - *szellem* (connected etimologically to "wind = szél") (and also could be used for sy's intellect)

_Self _does not have anything to do with all these in Hungarian. (Maybe "lélek" in some rare cases...)

However, we have the saying of 
*lelket lehel belé* = _to blow soul (i.e.spirit) into sy_ 
(although nowadays it is used mainly in the sense of to encourage sy) or *kilehelte a lelkét* = _breathed out his soul_, a poetic way of saying that sy died/finished his life.

For the latter, I witnessed sg like that when our doggy died. There was a final "huh"! Maybe the original idea came from such a physical fact. (Brr.) 
(I'm a fan of practical reasons...)


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## palomnik

Zsanna said:


> For the latter, I witnessed sy like that when our doggy died.



Zsanna, I'm not sure what you mean by _sy.  _Do you mean _sigh?_


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## Zsanna

No, sorry for the old fashioned use. It is an abbreviation of _somebody _(using the first and last letter of it - which I personally find more logical to the more modern abbreviation of _sb_ for the same thing).

Edit:
Ooops! I've just noticed I misused the same abbreviation in: "I witnessed sy like that" - I meant: "... sg like that" (i.e. *s*omethin*g*).


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## kusurija

domangelo said:


> As has happened in many cases in English, the Latin derived word (spirit)... ... will refer to "The Holy Spirit".


 
The Holy Spirit:
Lithuanian:
Šventoji Dvasia
Czech:
Duch Svatý
Ghost(Haloweens)
Lithuanian:
Šmėkla, vaiduoklis
Czech: 
Duch, strašidlo


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## domangelo

kusurija said:


> The Holy Spirit:
> Lithuanian:
> Šventoji Dvasia
> Czech:
> Duch Svatý
> Ghost(Haloweens)
> Lithuanian:
> Šmėkla, vaiduoklis
> Czech:
> Duch, strašidlo



to add to that:
German:
Der Heilige Geist
English:
The Holy Ghost
or: The Holy Spirit

In 9 years of Catholic school during my childhood, it was almost always the Holy Ghost, and not the Holy Spirit.

The original question had to do with the origins of the word "spirit" and does it have a relationship to breathing. I went back to look at Classical Greek writing conventions, because I seemed to remember that there was a written accent in Classical Greek that is called a "spirit", and I wondered if it had to do with breathing. It turns out that this spirit is a translation of the term "spiritus asper" which is Latin for "rough breathing" which is, in turn a translation of the original Greek term for this written accent, "daseia". Now, could there be a connection between the Lithuanian dvasia and the Greek daseia?


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## Abu Bishr

Hi all, and thank you all for your highly interesting answers.

I believe that the Greek word for spirit or ghost is also "pneuma" as mentioned by celine before. I also know that a number of illnesses pertaining to respiration or the lungs use the word "pneuma", e.g. pneumonia, pneumothorax, etc. From this it appears to me that the Greek word for spirit / ghost (pneuma) is also somehow connected to breathing and respiration. So, am I right in assuming that since the New Testament was written in classical Greek that the expression for "Holy Ghost / Spirit" would somehow include the word "pneuma"?

Also, I've noticed that in Arabic there are other words that are close to "nafs" (self, spirit, soul) in pronunciation and also relate to wind and breath. These words are:

*nafaHa* (to disperse like in the case of a scent / fragrance dispersing into the air)
*nafatha* (blowing that is accompanied by mild spitting, like when someone blows / spits out a tiny object)
*nafakha* (to blow into something)
*faHHa* (which sounds like the latter part of "nafaHa" means "to hiss" like in the hissing of snakes).


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## palomnik

Abu Bishr, you're right about Holy Ghost/Spirit, which is Άγιον πνέυμα in Greek.

I find your comment about Arabic extremely interesting but beyond my expertise in the language. Elroy, Celine, are you out there?


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## HKK

Abu Bishr said:


> Also, I've also noticed that in Arabic there are other words that are close to "nafs" (self, spirit, soul) in pronunciation and also relate to wind and breath. These words are:
> 
> *nafaHa* (to disperse like in the case of a scent / fragrance dispersing into the air)
> *nafatha* (blowing that is accompanied by mild spitting, like when someone blows / spits out a tiny object)
> *nafakha* (to blow into something)
> *faHHa* (which sounds like the latter part of "nafaHa" means "to hiss" like in the hissing of snakes).



This might be of interest: in the English language, words that begin with gl- are quite likely to be related to light or sight. Just a quick off-topic note


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## Lugubert

An interesting set, considering the way those word are used in philosophy/religion. I'll have a go at it.

روح ruuH, רוּח ruaH - Swedish _ande_ (like in _den helige ande_ - 'the Holy Ghost' and similar supposed beings), _själ_ 'soul'
نفس nafs, ןפש nefesh - _själ_, _själv_ 'self', نفس nafas _andetag_ 'a breath'

The Afrikaans _asem_ should be compared to Dutch _adem_, German _Atem_. Not too dissimilar, and probably all cognate to Sw. _ande(tag)_, and the corresponding verbs asemskep, admen, atmen, andas 'breathe', and, as palomnik and Whodunit remarked, Sanskrit _atman_.

The Afrikaans _spook_ has friends in Swedish _spöke_, English and Dutch _spook_, German _Gespenst_.


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## jaxlarus

domangelo said:


> I went back to look at Classical Greek writing conventions, because I seemed to remember that there was a written accent in Classical Greek that is called a "spirit", and I wondered if it had to do with breathing. It turns out that this spirit is a translation of the term "spiritus asper" which is Latin for "rough breathing" which is, in turn a translation of the original Greek term for this written accent, "daseia". Now, could there be *a connection between the Lithuanian dvasia and the Greek daseia?*



No, I don't see any connection between the two!

You are right though about the accent called _spiritus asper_ in latin. Ιt's the δασεῖα (daseia), meaning 'rough', and it was placed above a vowel and the ρ (r) letter in the beginning of a word, to denote that it was preceded by an 'h' sound. Thus, all Greek words starting with a vowel with daseia have an h in front of them in English (through Latin): Hercules, Hera, helicopter, hymn, history, hero, haematology...

Indeed, the words for spirit and breathe derive from the same root as they do in English (spirit/respire) and Latin (spiritus/spirare): Spirit is πνεύμα (pnévma) and the verb is πνέω (pnéo), meaning to blow. And, yes, the word for lung is πνεύμονας (pnévmonas) and the holy ghost is άγιο πνεύμα. Πνεύμα is the classical word for ghost, the modern one being φάντασμα as Celine wrote, but it also means spirit, mind, intellect and genius. Ανα*πν*έω  is to breathe, ανα*πν*οή is respiration, *πν*οή is a breath.

As for the word for soul, ψυχή (psyche, psychi) it derives from the verb ψύχω which also means...to blow!

So, here you have it!


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## jaxlarus

...Oh, and I don't think there's really something strange about the fact that the words for spirit and soul have a connection with verbs like to breathe or to blow as the main meaning of spirit in the Bible (ruakh in hebrew and pneuma in Greek) is 'live-force' or 'life giving force'. Don't forget that what keeps us alive is, after all...breathing!


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## MarX

Abu Bishr said:


> What I found interesting is that I know of two words in Arabic for the words: spirit, soul or self, namely, *ruH* (spirit, soul) & *nafs* (spirit, soul, self). Both these Arabic words can somehow be connected to breath or wind, e.g. *ruH* is connected to *riH* (wind) and *nafs* to *nafas* (breath).


The Indonesian word for _spirit_ is similar to Arabic. It's _*roh*_.

_*nafas/napas* = breath_

_soul = *jiwa*_. Probably a loanword from Sanskrit.

_self = *diri*_

_ghost = *hantu*_. I've always wondered if it's related to English _haunt_.


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## mohamed264

in arabic
spirit and soul give the same meaning ....روح (rouh)
self..النفس (el nafs)
ghost...شبح (shabah) or..عفريت (afreet)


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## ThomasK

See also thread 'Holy Spirit'.


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## sakvaka

Abu Bishr said:


> *Afrikaans*:
> siel (soul)
> gees (spirit / ghost)
> self (self)



I wonder if there is a connection between the Finnish word "sielu" (soul) and its Afrikaans equivalent... 

In Finnish these are:
_sielu_ (soul)
_henki_ (spirit / ghost)

_Kummitus/aave/haamu_ are all words for the "stereotypical cartoon ghost". _Henki_ means something less concrete and invisible (_paha henki_ - evil spirit; _räyhähenki_ - poltergeist).

The Holy Spirit is always "_Pyhä henki_", not "Pyhä kummitus" - this would look comical.

The word _henki_ carries also another meaning - "breath" (_hengittää_ - to breathe; _en saa henkeä_ - I cannot breathe).


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## ThomasK

I really wonder if it is possible to distinguish 'lexically' between ghosts, phantoms, spooks, poltergeists (considered to be fairly negative) and spirits in all languages. 

I think 'Holy Ghost' for example is not quite uncommon as an alternative for 'Holy Spirit', and 'geest' is Dutch is not as devote or spiritual as one might think. Whereas all the 'sp-key words' do see negative...


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## Favara

*Catalan*
Spirit: _Esperit_ (Also used for the Holy Ghost: _l'Esperit Sant_).
Soul: _Ànima__._
Ghost: _Ànima, fantasma__, espectre__, bubota_(the last one is local to the islands and the south of País Valencià).

The word for "self" would be _mateix_, but it needs another word to make sense (_u/hom mateix_ = "one self" = oneself; _jo mateix_ = "I self" = myself; etc...).


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## ThomasK

I guess 'the self' is indeed a fairly modern, philosophical word... 

Just wondering: is there any etymological link between any of these spook words (spook, spectre/..., ..., not _ghost_ and _(evil) spirit_ of course) and soul, spirit? Does anyone know?


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## RaLo18

In Hebrew:

רוח (_ru'akh_) - soul, spirit, wind
רוח רפאים (_ru'akh refa'im_) - ghost

נשמה (_neshama_) - soul, spirit
נשימה (_neshima_) - breathing


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## ThomasK

7 years later I'd wish to add that Dutch "ziel" and "geest" are not linked in any way at first sight. The origin of the word "ziel" is quite unclear as a matter of fact. It is believed to have been christianised but there is no clarity as for what the word/ term/ concept could have referred to at first. Suggestions point at sea, life and choosing. Not clear at all therefore...


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## Nawaq

~ceLine~ said:


> In French
> 
> Ghost = revenant



Me too adding a little something, _fantôme_.


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## Medune

Portuguese
Spirit: Espírito ( Latin _spiiritus_, breathing, ghost.)
Soul: Alma ( Latin, _anima_, pull of air)
Ghost: Fantasma, Espectro (Latin _spectrum_, appearance, image)
Self: Ego (Latin _ego_, I)


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## apmoy70

Greek:

Spirit: *«Πνεύμα»* [ˈpnevma] (neut.) --> _spirit, spiritual or immaterial being_ < Classical neut. noun *«πνεῦμα» pneû̯mă* --> _blast, wind, breathed air, breath, flatulence, respiration, spiritual or immaterial being_ (PIE root *pneu̯- _to breath, cough, smell_ cf Proto-Germanic *fneusaną > Eng. sneeze, Dt. fniezen, Isl. fnæsa, Swe. fnysa, D. fnyse).

Soul: *«Ψυχή»*  [p͡siˈçi] (fem.) < Classical fem. noun *«ψῡχή» p͡sūkʰḗ* --> _aspiration, breath, life, vitality, soul, spirit, butterfly (because it was considered a representation of the soul of the dead, seen as a winged creature)_, with obscure etymology, according to Beekes the word is more probably of Pre-Greek origin.

Self: *«Εαυτός»*  [e.afˈtos] (1st p. nom. sing. reflexive pronoun) < Classical 3rd p. gen. sing. reflexive pronoun *«ἑαυτοῦ» hĕau̯toû* --> _himself_, Attic Greek 1st p. nom. sing. refl. pron. *«ἑαυτός» hĕau̯tós* --> _(my)self _< compound; Classical 3rd p. sing. personal pronoun *«οὗ» hoû* (variant *«ἕ» hé*) --> _him, her, it_ (PIE *se/*sue̯- _himself_ cf Lat. sē, _himself_, Proto-Germanic *se- > Ger. sich, Dt. zich) + Classical demonstrative pronoun *«αὐτός, -τή, -τόν» au̯tós* (masc.), *au̯tḗ* (fem.), *au̯tón* (neut.) --> _this, that_, in oblique cases, _he, she, it_ (PIE *h₂eu- _again, other_ + PIE *to- _that_ cf Lat. autem, _while, however_).

Ghost: *«Φάντασμα»* [ˈfandazma] (neut.) < Classical neut. noun *«φάντασμα» pʰắntasmă* (PIE *bʰeh₂-_ light, shine_ cf Skt. भाति (bhā́ti), _light, splendour_, Av. bānu- _splendour_).


J.F. de TROYES said:


> ...
> In old , but also modern Greek *“wind”* is said “ἄνεμος “ / άνεμος *(anemos*) which two Latin "twin"-nouns come from : the first ,"anima" (feminine) means "pull of air, breath of life, soul", the second "animus", "feeling, sentiment, courage"; these words gave *"alma"* in Spanish and Portuguese, *"anima*" in Italian, *"âme"* in French, which mean "*soul* " and their derivatives as "animal" in these languages ("animale" in Italian). So through the Romance etymology, but even studies of Indo-European roots ( the Sanskrit "aniti" or "anilaH", the wind, belongs to the same family as "anemos" ) , it is clear that the notions of wind, air, breathing on the one hand, of spirit or soul on the other are closely related.


In rural MoGr the _phantom, apparition_, is *«αερικό»* [aˈeɾiˈko] (neut.) --> lit. _related to air_ < MoGr masc. *«αέρας»* [aˈeɾas] --> _air_ < Classical 3rd declension masc. noun *«ἀήρ» āḗr* (nom. sing.), *«ἀέρος» āérŏs* (gen. sing.) --> _mist, haze, clouds_, later _air, atmosphere_ (PIE *h₂eus-ēr- _mist, haze_ cf Proto-Germanic *airi, _early_ (adv.) > Isl. ár, _early_, Swe. arla, _early_).


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## Sardokan1.0

*Sardinian :*

Spirit : _Ispíritu_
Soul : _Anima, Alénu (breath)_
Ghost :_ Fantasma, Ispíritu, Umbra (shadow)_
Self :_ Eo/Deo (I)_


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## projectsemitic

*Amharic
Spirit*: መንፈስ (mänfäs)
_*Soul*_: ነፍስ (näfs)
_*Ghost*_: ጣረሞት (t'arämot)
_*Self*_: ራስ (ras)


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## Red Arrow

in Dutch:

*Ghost / Spirit:* geest
*The Holy Spirit: *de Heilige Geest
*Soul:* ziel
*Self: *zelf / zichzelf
*Spook: *spook
*Breath:* adem


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## Armas

sakvaka said:


> I wonder if there is a connection between the Finnish word "sielu" (soul) and its Afrikaans equivalent...
> 
> In Finnish these are:
> _sielu_ (soul)
> _henki_ (spirit / ghost)
> 
> _Kummitus/aave/haamu_ are all words for the "stereotypical cartoon ghost". _Henki_ means something less concrete and invisible (_paha henki_ - evil spirit; _räyhähenki_ - poltergeist).
> 
> The Holy Spirit is always "_Pyhä henki_", not "Pyhä kummitus" - this would look comical.
> 
> The word _henki_ carries also another meaning - "breath" (_hengittää_ - to breathe; _en saa henkeä_ - I cannot breathe).



As far as I know, _sielu_ is a loan from a Germanic language. In ancient Finnish/Finnic religion the soul is seen as a compound of _itse_ (modern meaning "self", something like the person's character), being the part that continues living after the death of the body, and _henki_ "spirit, breath (kind of vital force)" being the part that gives the body life. The ancient Finno-Ugric word meaning "spirit, soul", *_lewle_, has survived in Finnish _löyly_ which now means the steam produced in a sauna.


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## YohananP

*Wind, Breath, Vitality, Life-force, Divine-presence, Spirit, Soul*

Let me share with you what I have studied quite a bit on this topic.
In ancient Hebrew, the words for these key ideas are:

_ruach_ (רוח) - wind, breath, life-force, spirit
  - from: _rawach_ (רוח) - to breathe, blow
  - related words:
_reyach_ (ריח) - fragrance, aroma, scent, odor, breath (of fresh air, perfume, food, smoke, ocean air, et cetera)
_revach_ (רוח) - space, respite, relief; _ravach_ (רוח) - to be spacious, wide

_nefesh_ (נפש) - literally, a breathing being (animal or human);
  - it came to mean: breath, vitality, what enters with one's first breath and leaves with the last breath, psyche, that which experiences
  - related words:
_nafash_ (נפש) - to breathe, take a breath, take a breather, refresh oneself or others
_nafach_ (נפח) - to blow, breathe hard, stoke flame by blowing, blow out, blow away
  - primitive root: _noof_ (נופ) - move to & fro, in & out, up & down; rock, quiver, vibrate; wave, spread around

_neshama_ (נשמה) - forceful breath, life-breath; breathing creature, self, soul, intellect
- from: _nasham_ (נשמ) - to pant, gasp
- related words:
_nashaf_ (נשפ) - to breeze, blow
_   neshef_ (נשפ) - twilight, dawn (~ evening or morning breezes)

Examples of use in the Torah (Bible):

Genesis 1:2 - _ruach _elohim (ורוח אלהים) - variously translated "spirit of God...", "breath of God", or "wind from God" (which hovers on the surface of the primeval waters). To us, these three translations seem to have very different meanings, but to ancient people, they were pretty much the same.

Genesis 1:20 - _nefesh _chayah (נפש חיה) - "living creature(s)", "life that breathes".

Genesis 2:7 - _nishmat _chayim (נשמת חיים) - "breath of life".

Genesis 7:22 - _nishmat-ruach_ chayim (נשמת־רוח חיים) - “breath of the spirit of life”, “life’s breathing spirit”

Genesis 2:7 ”Then Almighty Being forms the human from dust of the earth, blows (_nafach_) into his nostrils the breath (_neshamah)_ of life, and the human becomes a living, breathing being (_nefesh)_."

Exodus: 21:25_ - reyach _nichoach (רֵ֥יחַ נִיחֹֽחַ) - usually translated "a pleasing aroma", also has the connotation of "a tranquil spirit".

[Personal reflection:
Some years ago, after meditating outside, when I opened my eyes, gusts of wind were moving the leaves and branches of the trees in billows, with rustling, hissing sounds that rose and fell in waves. With modern mental concepts stilled, my brain interpreted this scene as an invisible entity moving powerfully in the trees, enlivening their foliage with breathing, vibrant life. I felt deeply in awe, on the verge of tears, and deeply thankful for this experience of the beauty and connectedness of life. The simple, raw experience was: Wind = Breath = Spirit = Divine-presence = Life-energy.
I think this was a glimpse of the awe that ancient peoples may often have experienced in nature.]

As a neuroscientist, I can say our brain is extremely sensitive to detecting and giving significance to _things that move_ (e.g. the fight-flight-freeze response) and for finding the _hidden causes of daily events affecting life and death_ (to reliably recognition food, predators, mates, friends, shelter, leaders, et cetera). It has great survival value. This may explain widespread linguistic patterns, found in diverse languages and cultures, that connects wind, breath, motion, life, divinity, spirit, and soul.


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## 123xyz

Macedonian:

дух - ghost, spirit
душа - soul, spirit*
духовен - spiritual, religious
душевен - emotional, spiritual
дише - to breathe
вдише - to inhale
издише - to exhale
здив - breath
воздивне - sigh
здивне - catch one's breath, rest
се задише - run out of breath
задуши - to smother, suffocate
душне - sniff
etc...

These all have a single root. Meanwhile, the words for "self", "wind", and "mind" are completely unrelated.

*In English, "spirit" is, in my view, a vague word referring to both "soul", and "ghost", but with no meaning of its own that these two other words don't have, regardless of any suprasemantic connotations it may have; hence, I am unable to translate it separately


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## ThomasK

I  am inclined to think that this "spirit" often has to do with breathing and starting from that gets a richer meaning in the course of time, which may indeed overlap with "soul" and "ghost" or something the like. But I'd need more time to go into this. And that holds for the interesting exegetical comments as well...

I am not so sure about the key importance of moving. I do think standing, causing to stand [_posit/ thes_-] and going/ walking (etc.: moving if you wish) are basic metaphors (think of the roots in _circumstances_, _standing_, _obstacle, _AND _position, composition, hypothesis, system _AND _congress, aggression, exit, convention]....)_ I do see this interplay of standing (keeping upright, basis of freedom) and going (free mobility) as vital indeed, not only movement as such. I readily admit it is important enough.


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## J.F. de TROYES

ffrreeaakk said:


> I've never thought about that, but it seems that in Polish I could also find such similarities.
> The first thing is that _duch_ (spirit) and _dusza (soul)_ are already similar. Then polish word for breath is _oddech_ or _dech_ which seems to be connected to _spirit_ and going further _blow of wind _indeed!
> 
> duch (spirit/ghost) († breath)
> dusza (soul)


These two words ( as its likes in Russian ) seem grammatically equivalent to Latin _animus_ and _anima_ , a general concept being expressed in two forms, one masculine and the other feminine in order to differenciate two sides of the same entity. In Latin _anima_ denotes a current of air, the air as an element ( like the fire, the water, the earth ) , the air inhaled and exhaled and more generally, the vital principle of life while _animus_ is the reasoning, feeling, willing principle.



projectsemitic said:


> *Amharic
> Spirit*: መንፈስ (mänfäs)
> _*Soul*_: ነፍስ (näfs)



ነፍስ (näfs) is the same word as  نفس  (nafs ) in Arabic ( same origin or loan word )  and I suppose that in መንፈስ (mänfäs) a prefix or something like that combines with ነፍስ (näfs) . If so, what is th meaning of this prefix ?


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## bazq

J.F. de TROYES said:


> ነፍስ (näfs) is the same word as  نفس  (nafs ) in Arabic ( same origin or loan word )  and I suppose that in መንፈስ (mänfäs) a prefix or something like that combines with ነፍስ (näfs) . If so, what is th meaning of this prefix ?



I'm not a speaker of Amharic, but from what I remember from a paper I had to submit, [mä] is a nominal prefix similar to other [m(V)-] prefixes in other Semitic languages - place/instrument/agent or occupation.
Indeed nafs is a cognate between Semitic languages, I doubt Amharic loaned it from Arabic. The Hebrew "nefesh" is the same word only it has undergone several phonological changes (namely the breaking of the cluster in the coda using a vowel).


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## J.F. de TROYES

Thanks a lot for your reply. I was just wondering if the basic meaning of these two words could be cleared up by studying the prefix.


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## projectsemitic

J.F. de TROYES said:


> ነፍስ (näfs) is the same word as  نفس  (nafs ) in Arabic ( same origin or loan word )  and I suppose that in መንፈስ (mänfäs) a prefix or something like that combines with ነፍስ (näfs) . If so, what is th meaning of this prefix ?



I'm not sure on it's certain etymology, but the prefix mä/መ is generally found in the infinitive forms of verbs in Amharic, as a prefix. 'to come' would be መምጣት/mämTat, so here it could be seen as 'to' but that is not really the meaning of the prefix. 



bazq said:


> I'm not a speaker of Amharic, but from what I remember from a paper I had to submit, [mä] is a nominal prefix similar to other [m(V)-] prefixes in other Semitic languages - place/instrument/agent or occupation.
> Indeed nafs is a cognate between Semitic languages, I doubt Amharic loaned it from Arabic. The Hebrew "nefesh" is the same word only it has undergone several phonological changes (namely the breaking of the cluster in the coda using a vowel).



See above. The instrument and agent comment is correct though .


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