soul

Meaning

Noun

1. (countable, uncountable) The spirit or essence of a person usually thought to consist of one's thoughts and personality, often believed to live on after the person's death.
2. (countable, uncountable) The spirit or essence of anything.
3. (countable, uncountable) Life, energy, vigor.
4. (countable, uncountable) Soul music.
5. (countable, uncountable) A person, especially as one among many.
6. (countable, uncountable) An individual life.
7. (countable, uncountable) A kind of submanifold involved in the soul theorem of Riemannian geometry.

Verb

1. (obsolete, transitive) To endow with a soul or mind.
2. To beg on All Soul's Day.

Verb

To feed or nourish.

Synonyms

spirit

ghost

👻

heart

❤️

life

mind

person

🧑‍🦱

essence

shadow

individual

human

psyche

vigour

vigor

human being

somebody

someone

feelings

man

👨

mortal

anima

life force

head

air

emotions

breath

picture

phantom

pith

feeling

moods

inner feelings

vitality

atman

drive

supernatural

divine

thought

💭

spiritual

spirt

self

genie

🧞

creature

being

liveliness

intention

intellect

energy

soulfulness

either

ego

Translations

âme

Seele

alma

anima

alma

ψυχή

ziel

Geist

anima

ànima

geest

👻

spirito

espíritu

esprit

Pronounced as (IPA)

/səʊl/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: soule

Inherited from Old English: sāwol

Cognate with Scots: saul

Cognate with Northern Frisian: siel

Cognate with Saterland Frisian: Seele

Cognate with Western Frisian: siel

Cognate with Dutch: ziel

Cognate with German: Seele

Cognate with Old Saxon: *siala

Cognate with Danish: sjæl

Cognate with Swedish: själ

Cognate with Norwegian: sjel

Cognate with Icelandic: sál

Cognate with Old English: sāwol

In summary

From Middle English soule, sowle, saule, sawle, from Old English sāwol (“soul, life, spirit, being”), from Proto-West Germanic *saiwalu, from Proto-Germanic *saiwalō (“soul”), of uncertain ultimate origin (see there for further information).
Cognates
Cognate with Scots saul, sowel (“soul”), Saterland Frisian Seele (“soul”), West Frisian siel (“soul”), Alemannic German Seel (“soul”), Central Franconian Siel (“soul”), Dutch ziel (“soul”), German Seele (“soul”), German Low German Seel (“soul”), Luxembourgish Séil (“soul, spirit”), Vilamovian zejł, zəjł, zyił (“soul”), Gothic 𐍃𐌰𐌹𐍅𐌰𐌻𐌰 (saiwala, “soul”). Scandinavian homonyms seem to have been borrowed from Old Saxon sēola. Modern Danish sjæl (“soul”), Icelandic sál (“soul”), Norwegian Bokmål sjel (“soul”), Norwegian Nynorsk sjel, sål (“soul”), Swedish själ (“soul”), Finnish sielu (“soul”) may have come from Old English sāwol.

Sentences

We were all made by the same hand , and we have the same soul .

Sometimes the human soul is conceived not in human but in animal form .

I won't ever tell a soul .