Meaning
- with all one's effort and ability
- completely
- with all of
- every effort
- all aspects
- commitment
Example Sentences
- A great painter must put their body and soul onto the canvas.
- When two people become married, they are giving their body and soul to one another.
- With her body and soul into her career, she quickly rose to the top.
- He dedicated himself to science studies and astronomy, body and soul.
Origin
This idiom is without a pinpoint origin but can be understood by tracing the origins of the concept. The term "soul" as we think of it today is derived from the Old English word "sáwol", which translates to "immortal principle of man".
The Ancient Greeks believed that the "pneuma" (soul) was the spiritual breath that animated life into a living organism.
Plato was one of the first to describe a reasonable means of understanding the soul. Stating that the soul is "that which moves things by means of its thoughts."
Aristotle posited that the body and soul were a being's matter and form, respectively.
In almost every religious sense, it's agreed that the physical body is not tied to the soul in a permanent way. So, by insisting that something is worthy of one's "body and soul," it is implied that every effort in this life, as well as the efforts of a soul's continued journey, are being spent on a commitment or action.
