Inspiration
/ˌɪn.spɪˈreɪ.ʃən/noun
The process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to create something; a sudden creative idea.
Did you know?In Latin, inspirare could mean to breathe upon or into, and in religious usage it was used for divine or supernatural influence—so the word already carried a ghostly, possessed edge.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*speis-
“to blow, breathe”
Latin
Latin
spirare
“to breathe, blow”
Latin
Latin
inspirare
“to breathe into, infuse with breath or spirit”
Late Latin
Latin
inspiratio
“a breathing into; divine prompting”
Old French
Old French
inspiration
“divine influence, a breathing in”
Middle English
English
inspiracioun
“divine guidance or a breathing in”
Modern English
English
inspiration
“creative or intellectual stimulation”