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soul - 11 dictionary results
soul
[sohl] 
,–noun
| 1. | the principle of life, feeling, thought, and action in humans, regarded as a distinct entity separate from the body, and commonly held to be separable in existence from the body; the spiritual part of humans as distinct from the physical part. |
| 2. | the spiritual part of humans regarded in its moral aspect, or as believed to survive death and be subject to happiness or misery in a life to come: arguing the immortality of the soul. |
| 3. | the disembodied spirit of a deceased person: He feared the soul of the deceased would haunt him. |
| 4. | the emotional part of human nature; the seat of the feelings or sentiments. |
| 5. | a human being; person. |
| 6. | high-mindedness; noble warmth of feeling, spirit or courage, etc. |
| 7. | the animating principle; the essential element or part of something. |
| 8. | the inspirer or moving spirit of some action, movement, etc. |
| 9. | the embodiment of some quality: He was the very soul of tact. |
| 10. | (initial capital letter ) Christian Science. God; the divine source of all identity and individuality. |
| 11. | shared ethnic awareness and pride among black people, esp. black Americans. |
| 12. | deeply felt emotion, as conveyed or expressed by a performer or artist. |
| 13. | soul music. |
–adjective
| 14. | of, characteristic of, or for black Americans or their culture: soul newspapers. |
Origin:
bef. 900; ME; OE sāwl, sāwol; c. D ziel, G Seele, ON sāl, Goth saiwala
bef. 900; ME; OE sāwl, sāwol; c. D ziel, G Seele, ON sāl, Goth saiwala
Related forms:
soullike, adjective
Synonyms:
1. spirit. 4. heart. 7. essence, core, heart.
1. spirit. 4. heart. 7. essence, core, heart.
soul music
–noun
| a fervent type of popular music developed in the late 1950s by black Americans as a secularized form of gospel music, with rhythm-and-blues influences, and distinctive for its earthy expressiveness, variously plaintive or raucous vocals, and often passionate romanticism or sensuality. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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|
Link To soul
| soul (sōl) n.
[Middle English, from Old English sāwol.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Soul
Soul\, a. Sole. [Obs.] --Chaucer.Soul
Soul\, a. Sole. [Obs.] --Chaucer.Soul
Soul\, v. i. [F. so[^u]ler to satiate. See Soil to feed.] To afford suitable sustenance. [Obs.] --Warner.Soul
Soul\, n. [OE. soule, saule, AS. s[=a]wel, s[=a]wl; akin to OFries. s?le, OS. s?ola, D. ziel, G. seele, OHG. s?la, s?ula, Icel. s[=a]la, Sw. sj["a]l, Dan. si[ae]l, Goth. saiwala; of uncertain origin, perhaps akin to L. saeculum a lifetime, age (cf. Secular.)]1. The spiritual, rational, and immortal part in man; that part of man which enables him to think, and which renders him a subject of moral government; -- sometimes, in distinction from the higher nature, or spirit, of man, the so-called animal soul, that is, the seat of life, the sensitive affections and phantasy, exclusive of the voluntary and rational powers; -- sometimes, in distinction from the mind, the moral and emotional part of man's nature, the seat of feeling, in distinction from intellect; -- sometimes, the intellect only; the understanding; the seat of knowledge, as distinguished from feeling. In a more general sense, "an animating, separable, surviving entity, the vehicle of individual personal existence." --Tylor. The eyes of our souls only then begin to see, when our bodily eyes are closing. --Law. 2. The seat of real life or vitality; the source of action; the animating or essential part. "The hidden soul of harmony." --Milton. Thou sun, of this great world both eye and soul. --Milton. 3. The leader; the inspirer; the moving spirit; the heart; as, the soul of an enterprise; an able general is the soul of his army. He is the very soul of bounty! --Shak. 4. Energy; courage; spirit; fervor; affection, or any other noble manifestation of the heart or moral nature; inherent power or goodness. That he wants algebra he must confess; But not a soul to give our arms success. --Young. 5. A human being; a person; -- a familiar appellation, usually with a qualifying epithet; as, poor soul. As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country. --Prov. xxv. 25. God forbid so many simple souls Should perish by the aword! --Shak. Now mistress Gilpin (careful soul). --Cowper. 6. A pure or disembodied spirit. That to his only Son . . . every soul in heaven Shall bend the knee. --Milton. Note: Soul is used in the formation of numerous compounds, most of which are of obvious signification; as, soul-betraying, soul-consuming, soul-destroying, soul-distracting, soul-enfeebling, soul-exalting, soul-felt, soul-harrowing, soul-piercing, soul-quickening, soul-reviving, soul-stirring, soul-subduing, soul-withering, etc. Syn: Spirit; life; courage; fire; ardor. Cure of souls. See Cure, n., 2. Soul bell, the passing bell. --Bp. Hall. Soul foot. See Soul scot, below. [Obs.] Soul scot or Soul shot. [Soul + scot, or shot; cf. AS. s[=a]welsceat.] (O. Eccl. Law) A funeral duty paid in former times for a requiem for the soul. --Ayliffe.Soul
Soul\, v. t. To indue with a soul; to furnish with a soul or mind. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : soul
Spanish:
alma, espíritu,
German:
die Seele,
Japanese:
魂
soul (1)
O.E. sawol "spiritual and emotional part of a person, animate existence," from P.Gmc. *saiwalo (cf. O.S. seola, O.N. sala, O.Fris. sele, M.Du. siele, Du. ziel, O.H.G. seula, Ger. Seele, Goth. saiwala), of uncertain origin. Sometimes said to mean originally "coming from or belonging to the sea," because that was supposed to be the stopping place of the soul before birth or after death. Hence, from P.Gmc. *saiwaz (see sea). Meaning "spirit of a deceased person" is attested in O.E. from 971. As a synonym for "person, individual" (e.g. every living soul) it dates from c.1320. Soulmate (1822) is first attested in Coleridge. Soul-searching (n.) is attested from 1948, from the phrase used as a pp. adj. (1612).
soul (2)
"instinctive quality felt by black persons as an attribute," 1946, jazz slang, from soul (1). Soulful "full of feeling" is attested from 1863. Hence Soul music, essentially gospel music with "girl" in place of "Jesus," etc., first attested 1961; William James used the term in 1900, in a spiritual/romantic sense, but in ref. to inner music. Also from this sense are soul brother (1957), soul food (1957), etc.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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soul
In addition to the idiom beginning with soul, also see bare one's soul; heart and soul; keep body and soul together; kindred spirit (soul); living soul.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2009, Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
