incorporeal

Also found in: Thesaurus, Legal, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

in·cor·po·re·al

(ĭn′kôr-pôr′ē-əl)

adj.

1. Lacking material form or substance.

2. Law Of or relating to property or an asset that cannot be physically possessed, as a right or patent.

[Middle English incorporealle, from Latin incorporeus : in-, not; see in-¹ + corporeus, consisting of a body; see corporeal.]

in′cor·po′re·al′i·ty (-ăl′ĭ-tē) n.

in′cor·po′re·al·ly adv.

incorporeal

(ˌɪnkɔːˈpɔːrɪəl)

adj

1. without material form, body, or substance

2. (Ecclesiastical Terms) spiritual or metaphysical

3. (Law) law having no material existence but existing by reason of its annexation of something material, such as an easement, touchline, copyright, etc: an incorporeal hereditament.

ˌincorˈporeally adv

incorporeity, ˌincorporeˈality n

in•cor•po•re•al

(ˌɪn kɔrˈpɔr i əl, -ˈpoʊr-)

adj.

1. not corporeal or material; insubstantial.

2. having no material value but giving evidence of value, as a franchise.

[1525–35; < Latin incorpore(us) + -al¹. See in-³, corporeal]

in`cor•po`re•al′i•ty, n.

in`cor•po′re•al•ly, adv.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Adj.

incorporeal - without material form or substance; "an incorporeal spirit"

immaterial

unbodied - having no body

corporeal, material - having material or physical form or substance; "that which is created is of necessity corporeal and visible and tangible" - Benjamin Jowett

incorporeal

adjective

Having no body, form, or substance:

bodiless, discarnate, disembodied, immaterial, insubstantial, metaphysical, nonphysical, spiritual, unbodied, uncorporal, unsubstantial.

Translations

incorporeal

[ˌɪnkɔːpɔːrɪəl] ADJ (liter) → incorpóreo

incorporeal

adj → nicht körperlich, körperlos

References in classic literature ?

In that hour she repeated what the merciful eyes of solitude have looked on for ages in the spiritual struggles of man-- she besought hardness and coldness and aching weariness to bring her relief from the mysterious incorporeal might of her anguish: she lay on the bare floor and let the night grow cold around her; while her grand woman's frame was shaken by sobs as if she had been a despairing child.

View in context

Athelny spoke of the mystical writers of Spain, of Teresa de Avila, San Juan de la Cruz, Fray Luis de Leon; in all of them was that passion for the unseen which Philip felt in the pictures of El Greco: they seemed to have the power to touch the incorporeal and see the invisible.

View in context

Thus incorporeal Spirits to smallest forms Reduc'd thir shapes immense, and were at large, Though without number still amidst the Hall Of that infernal Court.

View in context

Or, tell me, Doctor, do you have no apprehension in an earthquake that that incorporeal body of yours will be hit by an immaterial brick?

View in context

Some of them struck me as singularly odd compounds of ardour and flatness; commencing in strong feeling, and concluding in the affected, wordy style that a schoolboy might use to a fancied, incorporeal sweetheart.

View in context

As incorporeal, changeless, intelligible realities, the forms remain as transcendent to the world of physical, mutable, sensible things as the strongest proponent of separation could maintain.

THE PRESENCE OF THE PARADIGM: IMMANENCE AND TRANSCENDENCE IN PLATO'S THEORY OF FORMS

Since the soul is indivisible, simple, and incorporeal, it contains itself while also maintaining united the parts of the body.

Il Platonismo e l'Antropologia Filosofica di Gregorio di Nissa. Con Particolare Riferimento agli Influssi di Platone, Plotino e Porfirio

which they assign a place in the hierarchy of incorporeal substances

Alfarabi, Avicenna, and Averroes on Intellect: Their Cosmologies, Theories of Active Intellect, and Theories of Human Intellect

Somehow, the concept of incorporeal figures that vaguely represent some hypothetical entity of unknown origin escapes me, I suppose, but it was not the lack of understanding that gave me a distaste for numbers.

My life in three acts

The Year of Giving embeds values of sharing and giving in all forms, including incorporeal support, which can change a persons life and give them a more positive view of the future, where dreams can come true.

United Arab Emirates : MBRSC visited Ambassador School as a part of the Year of Giving initiatives

The main criticism of such evidence has been that it cannot represent the "intent" of the legislature, an incorporeal body, but that is equally true of other forms of legislative history.

Who speaks for parliament?: Hansard, the courts and legislative intent

At common law an easement is defined as a nonpossessory incorporeal interest in another's possessory estate in land, entitling the holder of the easement to make some use of the other's property.