late 14c., spiritualite, "immateriality" (of angels), also "the clergy," also "ecclesiastical property; things pertaining to the Church," from Anglo-French spiritualite, Old French espiritualite, and directly from Late Latin spiritualitatem (nominative spiritualitas), from Latin spiritualis (see spiritual (adj.)).
The meaning "quality of being spiritual, spiritual tendency" is from c. 1500; the seldom-used sense of "fact or condition of being a spirit" is from 1680s.
Also in early use was spiritualty (late 14c.). English is blessed with multiple variants of many words but has made scant use of most. For every pair historic/historical; realty/reality, or luxuriant/luxurious there is a spiritualty/spirituality or a specialty/speciality, with distinct forms suitable to senses requiring differentiation. But with hundreds of years gone by there is little progress in sorting them.
c. 1300, "of or concerning the spirit, immaterial" (especially in religious aspects), also "of or concerning the church," from Old French spirituel, esperituel (12c.) or directly from a Medieval Latin ecclesiastical use of Latin spiritualis "pertaining to spirit; of or pertaining to breath, breathing, wind, or air," from spiritus "of breathing; of the spirit" (see spirit (n.)).
The sense of "originating with God" is from late 14c. Related: Spiritually. An Old English word for "spiritual" was godcundlic. Spirital "pertaining to the spiritual realm" (from Latin spiritalis) also was in use from late 14c. to about 1700. Spirituose, a coinage of the 17c., was rare and now is obsolete.
In avibus intellige studia spiritualia, in animalibus exercitia corporalia [Richard of St. Victor (1110-1173): "Watch birds to understand how spiritual things move, animals to understand physical motion." - E.P.]
1590s, "spirited, animated, lively" (senses now rare or obsolete), from Latin spiritus (see spirit (n.)) + -ous, or else from French spiritueux (16c.), from Vulgar Latin *spirituosus, from Latin spiritus. Also formerly "spiritual" (1630s), also obsolete, and in 17c. often "of the nature of spirit."
The meaning "containing much alcohol" is attested from 1680s. Related: Spiritously; spiritousness; spirituosity, which is attested from 1660s as "spiritual character or quality."
1796, "advocacy of a spiritual view, doctrine of the existence of spirit as distinct from matter or as the only reality" (opposed to materialism), from spiritual (adj.) + -ism. The table-rapping sense, "belief that spirits of the dead can communicate with the living via a medium" is from 1853 (compare spiritualist).
"African-American religious song," 1866, from spiritual (adj.). Earlier "a spiritual thing" (1660s); "a spiritual person" (1530s); "a cleric" (mid-15c.).
c. 1400, spiritualte, "spirituality, quality of being spiritual" (senses now obsolete); also "the whole clergy of a national church, an ecclesiastical body," from Old French espiritualte, espirituaute, variants of spiritualite, from Late Latin spiritualitatem (see spirituality).
