Why alcohol called spirits

The other theory links it to ancient eyeliner. Please allow me to explain. The black mineral stibnite is very fine powdery substance that was once used as an eyeliner. Because the process somewhat resembles distillation, some believe it became a generalized term for distilled substances.

Here are some examples from the dictionary on their usage:. They point to their similarity in sound, speculating this could have led to confusion between the two words when they were transliterated over the years--something that is very easy two dew to do. The views expressed are those of the author s and are not necessarily those of Scientific American.

Layla Eplett writes about the anthropology of food. Improve this question. Mirte Mirte 1 1 gold badge 7 7 silver badges 13 13 bronze badges. Will-o-the-wisps may be a special case however, given that they are an anthropomorphisation if that's the right word of a natural phenomenon which involves either a flame or 'pre-combustion halos' known as cold flames.

Even if the scientific explanations are still disputed to some extent, folklore explains them as ghostly flames and artistic depictions deliberately render them flame-like. Spagirl Very true! However many other spirits are dipicted in a similiar manner. Huh, and I always thought it was because it put you in in good spirits — DasBeasto. Add a comment. Active Oldest Votes.

The vapor given off and collected during an alchemical process as with distillation of alcohol was called a spirit of the original material: From late 14c. Improve this answer. Note that the same thing has happened in German. Three martinis and you're visited by poltergeists. DavidRicherby - the spirit, the immaterial essence coming from the distilled material.

Spirit is from the Latin for "breath", i. LeeDanielCrocker Which in turn is a reflection of the ancient belief that one's breath and one's soul are the same thing. A newborn's first breath is the spirit entering the body; a dying person's death rattle is the spirit leaving the body. Show 4 more comments. OED - sense 16 - a. However from the 17th century the notion of spirits as a refined substance generally seems to become accepted sense 21 - a.

Jonson Alchemist ii. F2, H'is busie with his spirits, but we'll vpon him. Edit Spiro spiravi, spiratus, spirare according to my Latin dictionary Virgil used it in idioms to mean variously of strong odour; be propitious; to breathe, blow, be exhaled, burst forth, rage, figuratively to be inspired, have poetic inspiration and Horace born 65BC to breathe, live, be alive - videtur Laeli mens spirare etiam in scriptis: spirat adhuc amor puellae It doesn't say anything about "spirit" in the sense of the non-corporeal.

Community Bot 1. WS2 WS2 Didn't medieval alchemists use Latin? It seems plausible that spiritus may have been used in Latin to mean the "breath" vapor of a substance, and was then re-translated into English as "spirit" adding another meaning to a word that had been mutated already in its passage through Old French. I can't defend that theory though — trentcl. Also, in Hebrew, ruach is the word for "wind", "breath", and "spirit".

David Very interesting comment. See my extensive edit to my earlier answer. Imagine something a bit more terrifying—a flesh-eating demon, in fact. In ancient Arabic folklore, these grave-robbing creatures lived in burial grounds and other remote places, away from humans. Shapeshifters, they could take the form of animals, and through their cunning they lured unwitting strangers into the desert to be killed and eaten.

For this definition, you need to summon every image you have seen of an ancient god or goddess with eyes heavily lined in black eyeliner. While this may not be the case in a literal sense, it gets closest to the meaning of the word. Consider that alcohol can be used to extract the nature of other elements. The restrictions for the production of this spirit are in the mentioned regions.

With the most styles of any spirit, whiskey is also very versatile and is very common in the making of cocktails. Whiskey is mainly distilled from a single grain or a combination of grains to alter the taste. It has a malted grain and roasted grain but the taste can also be altered according to the style of making it. Gin is a dry drink that is predominantly non-sweet and is distilled from barley, corn, and rye, and derives its distinct flavor from juniper berries.

However, the element of intoxication and behaviors of intoxicated entities can shed a light on the reasons why these kinds of alcohol have been known as spirits for a long time. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

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