pneuma
/ˈnuːmə/
noun
- The spirit or soul of a person; the inner, invisible essence that gives life and identity.
- She felt her pneuma lift as she listened to the choir sing.
- The philosopher argued that the pneuma is what connects all living beings.
- In many ancient traditions, the pneuma leaves the body at the moment of death.
- In some religious and philosophical contexts, the divine spirit or life force that animates the universe.
- Stoics believed that pneuma permeates everything, giving order to the cosmos.
- He meditated on the universal pneuma that flows through all creation.
- The concept of pneuma is central to understanding early Christian ideas about the Holy Spirit.
- Breath or air, especially as a vital principle in ancient medicine and philosophy.
- The word 'pneumonia' comes from pneuma, because the disease affects the breath.
- Ancient Greek doctors thought pneuma was a subtle vapor that traveled through the blood vessels.
- In yoga, prana is similar to the Greek idea of pneuma as the breath of life.