[f. SPIRIT sb.]
I. 1. trans. To make (the blood, a liquor) of a more active or lively character.
1599. Shaks., Hen. V., III. v. 21. And shall our quick blood, spirited with Wine, Seeme frostie?
1644. in Hartlib, Legacy (1655), 221. The blood being … spirited with subtle Nitre or Gunpowder, it … is distributed through the body.
1670. Evelyn, Pomona (ed. 2), 55. Mustard made with Sack preserves boild Cider, and spirits it egregiously.
1822–7. Good, Study Med. (1829), I. 511. We find it [sc. the blood] return from the lungs spirited with newness of life.
2. To infuse spirit, life, ardor or energy into (a person); to inspirit, animate, encourage. Also const. for or to.
1608. Chapman, Dk. Byron, III. i. Like men, that, spirited with wine, Pass dangerous places safe.
1682. N. O., Boileau’s Lutrin, III. 28. Thy Valour firm’d the wavering Troops that day, And spirited their Files with fresh array!
1698. Fryer, Acc. E. India & P., 14. May had now began, when … we were once more spirited with milder Weather.
1719. De Foe, Crusoe, I. (Globe), 48. I also found some Rum…, which I had indeed need enough of to spirit me for what was before me.
1736. Lediard, Life Marlborough, II. 235. The small Advantages they had obtained … spirited them to entertain several towering Projects.
1758. Ann. Reg., 16. Spirited with this advantage, he pushed onwards.
1844. H. Rogers, Ess. (1874), I. ii. 69. He was further spirited to it by an anonymous letter.
1851. Chr. Spect., I. 100. Let the song of faith spirit thee for the fight of faith.
b. With impersonal object.
a. 1652. J. Smith, Sel. Disc., IX. (1821), 423. There is a living soul of religion in good men which … spirits all the wheels of motion.
1679. J. Goodman, Penit. Pardoned, II. ii. (1713), 194. Hope and apprehension of feasibleness spirits all industry, actuates all faculties, raises the spirits.
c. To lead or urge on by encouragement.
1682. New News fr. Bedlam, 30. Give Nature a Phillip with two or three quarts of Mum, to spirit them on for any Attempt.
1792. Mme. D’Arblay, Lett., 2 Oct. I wish to spirit him on to collect them [sc. notes] into a pamphlet.
1840. Lady C. Bury, Hist. of Flirt, xv. What was labour to me when my cousin James was at hand to spirit me on?
d. To excite, instigate, or stir up.
a. 1680. Charnock, Attrib. God (1834), II. 686. It is not to spirit rebellion, but to give a merciful stop to it.
1701. Swift, Contests Nobles & Comm., Wks. 1755, II. I. 36. Civil dissentions never fail of introducing and spiriting the ambition of private men.
3. To invest with a spirit or animating principle.
1629. T. Adams, Rage Oppression, Wks. 608. God hath … tempered all our bodies of one clay, and spirited our soules of one breath.
1642. Cudworth, Disc. Lord’s Supper, Introd. 2. There is ever some Soule of Truth, which doth secretly Spirit and Enliven the dead and unweildy Lump of all Errours, without which it could not move or stirre.
1650. R. Stapylton, Strada’s Low-C. Warres, I. 1. A Prince (the great body of whose Empire must be spirited with a great soul).
1717. Pope, Iliad, IX. 98. Thy high commands must spirit all our wars.
b. To invest with a particular spirit, disposition or character.
Not always clearly distinguishable from 2 and 2 b.
1654. Owen, Saints’ Persev., v. 113. The first great Promise of Christ … is that which Spirits and principles all other promises whatsoever.
1662. R. Mathew, Unl. Alch., 63. Your rash and hasty zeal, running upon Ordinances not spirited from on high.
1685. W. Adams, Dedham Pulpit, 108. This will spirit and dispose you to practise all those counsels.
1721. R. Keith, trans. T. à Kempis, Valley of Lillies, xxxiii. 105. The holy Spirit, who … taught him, and spirited him, and adorned his whole Life with Virtues.
1728. P. Walker, Life Peden, To Rdr. (1827), p. xxviii. They were some Way fitted and spirited for Trials.
c. Const. by or with (some principle, etc.). Chiefly in passive.
1646. J. Gregory, Notes & Observ. (1650), 33. Thus spirited with this secret power, it [the Palladium] was disposed of in some eminent or recessefull place of the City.
1654. Owen, Saints’ Persev., v. 112. The generall intention of God in all Gospel Promises, whereby they being equally Spirited, become as one.
1671. Temple, Ess., Constit. & Int. Emp., Wks. 1731. I. 107. In all these Wars the People were both united and spirited by the common Love of their Country.
1704. Swift, Mech. Operat. Spirit, Misc. (1711), 300. Spirited by a noble Zeal.
1741. Betteton, Hist. Eng. Stage, i. 21. They had warm Disputes behind the Scenes, which spirited the Rivals with … a natural Resentment to each other.
d. To lead or win over by persuasion.
1656. Hammond, Leah & Rachel (1844), 10. I shall abhor to spirit over any; but go along with such as are voluntarily desirous to go thither.
4. With up: To stimulate, animate, encourage, stir up, or excite (a person).
1712. Addison, Spect., No. 482, ¶ 2. She is forced … to spirit him up now and then, that he may not grow musty, and unfit for Conversation.
1743. Bulkeley & Cummins, Voy. S. Seas, 11. Not knowing … by whom the Fellow might be spirited up, I acquainted the Captain with the Affair.
1760–72. H. Brooke, Fool of Qual. (1809), I. 70. Being encouraged and spirited up,… they became, by degrees, quite happy and jovial.
1797. Jane Austen, Sense & Sens., xxx. Well, I shall spirit up the Colonel as soon as I can.
1847. Mrs. Gore, Castles in Air, xix. ‘You might live at a worse place, Charley!’ said I, spirited up for Yorkshire.
1871. Browning, Balaust., 106. We want no colony from Athens here, With memories of Salamis,… To spirit up our captives.
b. Const. against, into, or to.
1716. Pope, Lett. (1735), I. 288. Such a Mind as your’s has no need of being spirited up into Honour.
1721. Amherst, Terræ Filius, No. 8 (1726), 38. They made it their business to … spirit up their neighbours to rebellion.
1728. H. Herbert, trans. Fleury’s Eccl. Hist., I. 328. The powerful party that had been spirited up against him.
1764. Goldsm., Hist. Eng. in Lett. (1772), II. 220. The French … continually spirited up the Indians to repel the new comers.
1809. W. Irving, Knickerb., VI. vii. (1848), 353. Spiriting them up to heroic deeds.
1841. W. Duncan, Cicero’s Sel. Orat., ii. 32. Many very powerful nations were spirited up against us.
1857. Trollope, Barchester T. (1861), 130. Expecting that he should find his lordship … spirited up by his wife to repeat the rebuke.
c. To instigate or promote (rebellion, etc.).
1715. in Westm. Gaz. (1907), 14 May, 2/3. Those Incendiaries who came hither on Purpose to spirit up a Rebellion.
1751. Smollett, Per. Pic. (1779), IV. xcvii. 258. Attempts … to spirit up suits against him.
1770. Langhorne, Plutarch (1879), I. 255/1. He determined to spirit up a cruel war.
II. 5. To carry off or away, to make away with or remove in a mysterious or dexterous manner: † a. To kidnap, in order to transport to the plantations in America. Obs. (Cf. 6 a.)
1666. Lond. Gaz., No. 107/1. Several persons escaped from the Vessel, who pretend they were spirited (as they term it) and invited upon several pretences aboard them, and then … carried away.
a. 1683. Oldham, Wks. (1686), 85. These serve for Baits the simple to ensnare, Like Children spirited with Toys at Fair.
1693. I. Mather, Cases Consc. (1862), 241. A Servant, who was Spirited or Kidnapt (as they call it) into America.
b. In general use.
1670. Caveat to Conventiclers, 4. They do in a manner acknowledge, that they were Spirited out of their Bogs and Woods, and transported hither with vain hopes of preferment.
1678. Strange News fr. Wicklow, 3. Mr. Uniack demanded if she could give them any account of a Gentleman, one Dr. Moore, that had been Spirited out of their Company [by fairies] about an hour before.
1837. Carlyle, Fr. Rev., I. V. i. Leading men from all the Three Orders are nightly spirited thither. Ibid., II. V. v. Deserters are spirited over by assiduous crimps.
1858. R. S. Surtees, Ask Mamma, xlv. 199. [He] seemed to spirit the things off the table without sound or effort.
1889. Stevenson, Edinburgh, 46. Many a solid bulk of masonry has been likewise spirited into the air.
6. With away (cf. 5): a. To kidnap, carry off, or abduct (a person).
Freq. c. 1670–c. 1690, with reference to transporting boys to the West Indian plantations: cf. 5 a.
1670. Marvell, Corr., Wks. (Grosart), II. 323. Acts passed … against spiriting away Children beyond Sea.
1682. Lond. Gaz., 1723/4. For Spiriting or Stealing away a Young Boy, and sending him to Jamaica.
1697. Dampier, Voy. (1729), I. 178. We anchor’d, and sent … to treat about an Exchange for our Man they had spirited away.
1749. Fielding, Tom Jones, I. ix. Some … intimated, that she was spirited away with a design too black to be mentioned.
1769. Blackstone, Comm., IV. 219. In the civil law, the offence of spiriting away and stealing men and children … was punished with death.
1820. Scott, Monast., iv. She was sensible that he would have neither scruple nor difficulty in spiriting away the child.
1858. Froude, Hist. Eng., III. xvii. 449. The archbishop spirited away the preacher into Kent.
1883. Law Rep. 11 Q.B.D. 592. The prosecutor had spirited away … the sister of the accused person, and had shut her up in a convent.
fig. 1688. Crowne, Darius, V. Wks. 1874, III. 449. What is it spirits me away to fear?
b. To take away, carry off, by some mysterious means or power; to transport with speed.
1696. C. Leslie, Snake in Grass (1697), 97. Their Spiriting away the Letter of the Promised Seed.
1726. Penn, No Cross, xiii. § 14. An Enemy to the State, for he [the miser] spirits their Money away.
1775. R. Chandler, Trav. Asia M. (1825), I. Introd. p. xi. The jealousy of the papal court … spirited away these inestimable treasures.
1794. Godwin, Caleb Williams, 69. There is no Mrs. Jakeman now to spirit you away.
1861. Hughes, Tom Brown at Oxf., xxxii. One shake of the hand, and she was spirited away in a moment.
c. Said of the action of spirits.
1825. J. Neal, Bro. Jonathan, I. 253. Peters had been … spirited away in a thunderstorm.
1855. W. Irving, Chron. Wolfert’s Roost, 179. Others jocosely hinted that old Pluto … had spirited away the boy to the nether regions.
1889. Barrie, Window in Thrums, 102. It was thocht next mornin’ ’at the ghost had spirited them awa.
III. † 7. To extract spirit from; to distil. In quot. fig. Obs.–1
1677. Cleveland’s Poems, Ded. Yet how many such Authors must be creamed and spirited to make up his Fuscara?
8. To treat with a solution of spirits.
1883. Haldane, Workshop Rec., Ser. II. 145. Worsted-and-Cotton Damasks,… after being spirited and rinsed,… must have a water starch to make them look strong and well when finished.
