soul
/soʊl/
noun
Origin
Proto-Germanic
*saiwalō — of the soul; perhaps related to 'sea' because the soul was thought to originate from the water of life
Overview
Meaning Now
- The spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal.
- The emotional part of a person; the seat of feelings or sentiments.
- An individual person, often used in counting (e.g., 'all souls on board').
Literal older meaning
coming from or belonging to the sea
Language path
Proto-Germanic → Old English → English
Earliest form
sawol
Earliest period
Old English
Journey
The concept of the soul in Germanic languages is distinct from the Latin 'anima' (breath). It carries an association with water, possibly reflecting ancient pre-Christian beliefs where the soul originated in or returned to sacred bodies of water.
Evolution
- Proto-Germanic
*saiwalō
“the spiritual part of a person”
- Old English
sawol
“soul; life; spirit”
Represented the vital force in an individual.
- Middle English
soule
“immortal soul; person”
Standardization of spelling began to favor the modern form.
Connections
Word parts
soul
root
the spiritual or vital essence
Related across languages
Old Saxon
sēola
soul
Old Norse
sála
soul
German
Seele
soul
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Related to soul
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.