Give up the ghost

Give up the ghost means to die. During the 1500s, ghost meant soul or spirit and this is the sense in which it is used in the King James Version of the Bible (1611) in Job 14:10, “But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?” It is also mentioned in Mark 15:37, “And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost” and also Acts 12: 23, "And he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost". From the early 19th century, it was generally applied metaphorically to machinery etc.