Definition of: spiritual

(spir′i·ch·əl) adjective
1. Of or pertaining to spirit, as distingushed from matter; having the nature of spirit; consisting of spirit; incorporeal.
2. Pertaining to or affecting the immaterial nature or soul of man.
3. Of or pertaining to God, his Spirit, or his law, or to the soul as acted upon by the Holy Spirit; holy; pure; not carnal.
4. Sacred or religious; not lay or temporal; ecclesiastical: spiritual authorities: contrasted with secular.
5. Marked or characterized by the highest qualities of the human mind; intellectualized.
—noun
1. Anything pertaining to spirit or to sacred matters.
2. A religious folk song originating among the Negroes of the southern United States, typified by colorful rhythm and emotion: sometimes in narrative or ballad form; also, any song composed in imitation of a Negro spiritual.
—the Spirituals See under FRATICELLI. [<L spiritualis <spiritus spirit]
—spir′i·tu·al·ly adverb
—spir′i·tu·al·ness noun