Refers to a disembodied spirit, soul of the dead, or supernatural entity. Can be used in religious, folkloric, or metaphorical contexts.
It is said that spirits live in the forest.
She felt the spirit of her late grandmother.
聖霊 refers specifically to the Christian Holy Spirit, while 精霊 (also read せいれい) means a nature spirit or soul in folk or animist belief, so despite sharing a reading they denote very different concepts.
精霊 read せいれい means a nature or elemental spirit (as in animism or fantasy), while 精霊 read しょうりょう specifically means the spirit of a deceased person in Buddhist Obon rites.
精霊 refers to a nature spirit or ghost, while 精神 refers to the human mind, mentality, or willpower, so they should not be confused despite both being translated as 'spirit'.
Compound of 精 (pure, refined, spirit) and 霊 (spirit, soul). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the combination has long been used to refer to spiritual entities.