What does spiriting mean?
“Spiriting” most characteristically describes speech, behaviour, or a mood that is lively and full of animation. It conveys more energy and warmth than the neutral word “active,” though the familiar adjective “spirited” is now generally preferred in ordinary use. The word can also appear as a participial form of the verb “spirit”: in “spiriting away,” it means carrying or taking someone or something away, often suddenly or without drawing attention, while “spiriting up” means restoring enthusiasm or courage. These meanings share the idea associated with “spirit,” whether that means vitality, encouragement, or the presence of something intangible. Although “spiriting” sounds old-fashioned in some contexts, it remains useful in literary and informal writing, where it can add colour and suggest vigour or a whimsical sense of disappearance.
Lively, animated, or showing high spirits.
"Her spirited encouragement kept the team going through the final round."
Less usual than the standard form “spirited” in modern English.
Present participle of “spirit”: to fill with encouragement or to carry or take away.
"They spent the afternoon spirited the children away before the storm arrived."
The sense of taking away is especially common in the phrase “spiriting away” and can suggest secrecy or abruptness.
A person can be spirited, but a group can be “spirited away” — apparently taken by an unforeseen force.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does spiriting come from?
“Spiriting” derives from “spirit,” which comes through Old French from Latin spiritus, meaning “breath” or “spirit.” The same Latin root also underlies “spiritual,” “inspirit,” and “respiration.” Its lively adjectival sense reflects the older meaning of “spirit” as energy, animation, or vitality, while the sense involving removal comes from the verb “spirit” in expressions such as “spirit away.”
How spiriting is actually used
In its sense of lively or spirited, the word is now less common than “spirited,” which is usually the preferred standard form. In “spiriting away,” it often has a slightly playful or euphemistic tone and may suggest an abrupt, unexpected removal.
Easily confused with spiriting
“Spirited” is the standard adjective for energetic or animated, while “spiriting” is less usual in that sense and is also the participial form of “spirit.”