spirit of the war dead; soul of a fallen soldier
Honorific term for the spirits of those who died in war, especially soldiers. Commonly used in memorial contexts such as Yasukuni Shrine.
Many spirits of the war dead are enshrined at Yasukuni Shrine.
The prime minister paid respects to the fallen soldiers.
person of outstanding talent; genius
Obsolete meaning; formerly used to refer to a highly gifted or talented person. Not used in modern Japanese.
In old texts, 英霊 can refer to a person of outstanding talent.
Many spirits of the war dead are enshrined at Yasukuni Shrine.
Every year on this day, a ceremony is held to give thanks to the war dead.
Many young men became war dead in the fighting.
忠魂 also refers to a fallen soldier's spirit but stresses loyalty to one's country, whereas 英霊 is the more general honorific term.
戦死者 is the plain, factual term for 'someone killed in war,' while 英霊 is an honorific term treating that person's spirit with reverence.
Compound of 英 (ei, 'outstanding, heroic') and 霊 (rei, 'spirit, soul'). The modern sense 'spirit of the war dead' developed from the idea of heroic souls.