entry
inspiration
/ˌɪn.spəˈreɪ.ʃən/A motivating influence, idea, or divine inner prompting
From Proto-Indo-European via Germanic and Latin in- (in) + Latin spirare (to breathe).
from Late Latin inspirationem (nominative inspiratio ), noun of action
+1 more sourcefrom Late Latin inspirationem (nominative inspiratio ), noun of action
+1 more sourcefrom Old French inspiracion "inhaling, breathing in; inspiration" (13c.)
from Late Latin inspirationem (nominative inspiratio ), noun of action
+1 more sourcefrom Middle English inspiracioun
from Late Latin inspirationem (nominative inspiratio ), noun of action
+1 more sourceWord Ancestry
from Late Latin inspirationem (nominative inspiratio ), noun of action
+1 more sourcefrom Late Latin inspirationem (nominative inspiratio ), noun of action
+1 more sourcefrom Old French inspiracion "inhaling, breathing in; inspiration" (13c.)
from Late Latin inspirationem (nominative inspiratio ), noun of action
+1 more sourcefrom Middle English inspiracioun
from Late Latin inspirationem (nominative inspiratio ), noun of action
+1 more sourceBefore inspiration became something a clever teacher or novelist could give you, it was practically a breath from heaven. Latin īnspīrāre meant “to breathe into,” echoing the vivid scene in Genesis 2:7, where God breathes life into Adam; by about 1300, English inspiration could mean the divine influence behind sacred writing. The word traveled through Old French inspiracion and Middle English inspiracioun, carrying both the physical image of inhaling and the spiritual notion of an idea entering the mind. Its breathing cousin is spirit, while pneuma—the Greek word for breath—gave English the technical term pneumatic and the philosophical idea of spirit as invisible air. So when a poet says an idea “came to” them, the old metaphor is still quietly working: inspiration is something breathed in, as if the mind were a set of lungs for ideas.
The Story
Before inspiration became something a clever teacher or novelist could give you, it was practically a breath from heaven. Latin īnspīrāre meant “to breathe into,” echoing the vivid scene in Genesis 2:7, where God breathes life into Adam; by about 1300, English inspiration could mean the divine influence behind sacred writing. The word traveled through Old French inspiracion and Middle English inspiracioun, carrying both the physical image of inhaling and the spiritual notion of an idea entering the mind. Its breathing cousin is spirit, while pneuma—the Greek word for breath—gave English the technical term pneumatic and the philosophical idea of spirit as invisible air. So when a poet says an idea “came to” them, the old metaphor is still quietly working: inspiration is something breathed in, as if the mind were a set of lungs for ideas.
Modern Usage
A person admired as a model, or—in a crude internet usage—a term for sexual stimulation.
Kin & Kindred
From 'in-'·in, into
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From 'spirare'·to breathe, blow
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From '-ation'·action, process, or result
Derived Terms
English words from this root