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to ensoul

to ensoul

1 9.9
To give an inner life to a person or thing
  • verb
  • /ɪnˈsoʊl/
translation icon : dotar de alma
  • But if one agrees with Vico, as I do, that what Aristotle calls Homeric similes are not similes at all, but accounts about states of affairs in reality, then everything is ensouled and nothing is inanimate.
  • ensouled flesh

Examples

  • Today, we seem to be deconstructing these certainties and moving toward a new perspective in which the autonomy that has been forged and the ensouled cosmos that had been suppressed are starting to come together.

    Academic text (2001)
  • Quintessentially, then, both Spirit and Earth are life-givers: the Spirit ensouls the Earth with the quickening breath of divine life, and the Earth enfleshes the Spirit as it offers spiritual and physical sustenance to all living things.

    Academic text (2000)
  • We "ensoul ourselves," as you might say. :)

    Blog text (19)
  • Part of being ensouled, or filled with soul, is to acquire expertise in the place of passion.

    Academic text (2005)
  • Or do you think Jesus-God just picked a couple from the many thousands of humans that were around at a certain time to ensoul, allowing the others to enter oblivion when they died just like all other animals?

    Blog text (19)
  • And if the song's in search of earth, and if the song's ensouled, then everything vanishes to void, and the stars by which it's known, and the voice that lets it all be and be gone.

    Academic text (2012)
  • Unfortunately, many Jews, because they have also lost touch with the spirit, tend to rely on their leaders, who have lost touch with the Spirit of God that ensouls the Word of God, and therefore are unable to guide by the power of their faith and God-connection.

    Blog text (2)
  • They'll say that the last common ancestor of all humans was the biblical Cain—his parents were the first ensouled folks, Adam and Eve.

    Blog text (19)
  • The artist believes that her painting can ensoul the viewer, connecting them to deep emotions.

  • In many cultures, it is thought that music can ensoul objects, giving them a character of their own.

Synonyms

to spiritize
vsto ensoul
  • Archaic
9.9

To make something feel holy or full of life

gives a specific spiritual essence rather than general quality
to pneumatize
vsto ensoul
  • Formal
9.9

To give people a strong feeling of spiritual power

gives a distinct spiritual essence instead of mere inspiration

Antonyms

to dehumanize
  • Formal
24 7.5

To treat a person as if they are not human and take away their dignity

Surface Forms

ensoul infinitive
ensouled past
ensouled past participle
ensouling present participle
ensouls third person singular

Morphology

ensoul = soul (transparent) = en + soul

The verb is formed by the productive prefix 'en-' added to the noun 'soul', yielding the clear meaning 'to give or imbue with a soul'.

Etymology

Ensoul joins the start en- meaning 'make into' or 'put into' and the word soul meaning 'spirit', just like enable uses en- to 'make' something able. So, to ensoul is to give a spirit or inner life to someone or something.