Plural of spirit; can refer to supernatural beings, alcoholic beverages, or a person's mood and emotional state.
From Latin spiritus 'breath, breathing, spirit, soul', from spirare 'to breathe'. The multiple meanings developed over centuries: supernatural beings (14th century), distilled alcohol (16th century), and emotional state (17th century), all connected by the concept of something essential and intangible.
The word 'spirits' beautifully captures human intuition about the connection between breath, life force, and consciousness - ancient peoples noticed that death meant the cessation of breathing, leading to concepts of spirit as the animating principle. It's remarkable that we use the same word for ghosts, whiskey, and being in good spirits, all linked by ideas of essence and elevation.
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