Pneuma is an
ancient Greek word for "
breath", and in a religious context for "
spirit" or "
soul". It has various technical meanings for medical writers and philosophers of
classical antiquity, particularly in regard to physiology, and is also used in Greek translations of the
Hebrew Bible and in the
Greek New Testament. In classical philosophy, it is distinguishable from
psyche , which originally meant "breath of life", but is regularly translated as "
spirit" or most often "soul".