Editing Soul (section)

==Etymology==
The English noun ''[[:wikt:soul|soul]]'' stems from the [[Old English]] {{lang|ang|sāwl}}. The earliest attestations reported in the ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'' are from the 8th century. In the [[Vespasian Psalter]] 77.50, it means 'life' or 'animate existence'. In [[King Alfred]]'s translation of {{lang|la|[[De Consolatione Philosophiae]]}}, it is used to refer to the immaterial, spiritual, or thinking aspect of a person, as contrasted with the person's physical body. The Old English word is cognate with other historical [[Germanic languages|Germanic]] terms for the same idea, including [[Old Frisian]] {{lang|ofs|sēle}}, {{lang|ofs|sēl}} (which could also mean 'salvation', or 'solemn oath'), [[Gothic language|Gothic]] {{lang|got|saiwala}}, [[Old High German]] {{lang|goh|sēula}}, {{lang|goh|sēla}}, [[Old Saxon]] {{lang|osx|sēola}}, and [[Old Norse]] {{lang|non|sála}}. Present-day cognates include Dutch {{lang|nl|ziel}} and German {{lang|de|Seele}}.<ref name="oed">{{cite dictionary |title=soul, n. |url=https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/185083?rskey=HutjgX&result=1 |dictionary=OED Online |publisher=Oxford University Press |access-date=23 June 2022}}</ref>