Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost

Why was the term Holy Ghost replaced by Holy Spirit?[1]

Have all rites observed this change or just the Latin (Roman) rite?

The change from using the term Holy Ghost to Holy Spirit when referring to the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity has nothing to do with rites, doctrine, dogma, or malintent. The change occurred only in the English language. The change involves the uniqueness of the  English language which has multiple synonyms for almost everything. In this case, there are two words involved, ghost and spirit.  

Ghost derives from the old Saxon word ‘gast’ which originally came from the old Teutonic/German ‘geist’ or ‘gheist’. A modern derivative from the Germanic is the word ‘poltergeist.’ Early "old English borrowed words from Saxon as well as from other languages. These earlier languages had fewer words than our modern English to use for this term.

Spirit derives from the Latin ‘espiritu.’ Both the old Teutonic and Latin words at their time were the best translations of the Greek word ‘pneuma.’ The Greek word Pneuma, in turn, was used to translate from the Hebrew word ruah, (or ruach) which is breath or to breathe and correlates to God. 

The Hebrew word Ruah can have several meanings depending on the context. It can mean being inspired by God or the spirit of God. For the Hebrew language, the idea of the "Spirit of God" was synonymous with the "Breath of God." Currently, the word ‘spirit’ in the English Language has become the more exact term, even though originally in Old English, ‘ghost’ and ‘spirit’ were closer to being synonyms. In modern English, the similarities in these terms diverge. It should be pointed out that Old English contained more words and uses than its earlier predecessors or root languages of Saxon, Teutonic (Germanic), Gallic, Welsh, and Latin.

In the languages from old Teutonic countries the Germanic word ‘geist’ or ‘gheist’ is the only possible translation for the Greek word ‘pneuma.’  Countries from earlier centuries sharing the same root language influenced the language of the old Saxons.  Saxony uses the word ‘gast,’ a form of the Germanic word ‘gheist’. This was the only word they had that came close. This translated later to the word ‘ghost.’

Similar languages share similar roots with derivatives of the Saxon word ‘gast.’ As an example, the Dutch “Geest” and the Latvian “Gars” connote the word “spirit.” For these languages, it is not a contest of using one word versus another. It is only in the modern English language where there are multiple words to consider. The word ‘ghost’ in these tongues and modern English also means a “manifested specter” or a phantom.

In the past few decades, Catholic English language translators have preferred the word spirit over the use of the word ghost, when referring to the Holy Spirit. The word ‘spirit’ comes from Latin roots and is more in common with other romantic language derivatives, such as French, Italian, Spanish, and even Latin. The use of ‘spirit over ‘ghost’ has to do with the change of meaning in the current English vernacular where the word “ghost” is now more associated with some type of “specter” or “phantom.”

The point being emphasized concerns the use and meaning of the word spirit in Modern English which is much more in line with the Hebrew word ruah, (or ruach), which essentially means, breath, air, or wind. From the Hebrew ruah to the Greek word, pneuma which is then translated to ‘espiritu’ in Latin.

The English word “Spirit” is more consistent with translations in other languages including Latin, Spanish, Portuguese, and other romantic languages. For example, in French ‘Saint-Esprit,’ and in Italian ‘Spirito Santo’ properly translate into “Holy Spirit.”

It is interesting to note that, in the old Welsh language (which followed from older Gaelic coming from the English isle) the words ‘ysbryd sanctaidd’ (Es- bree-id Sancta–id) were used by Welsh Christians to connote the "Holy Spirit." The first part ‘ysbryd’ (Es- bree-id) is akin to the word ‘spirit’ and the second part ‘sanctaidd’ relates to the word ‘Sancta’ which means holy. This early Anglican root language does not use the old Saxon word ‘Gast!’

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[1]  Part of this information was taken from information provided at the Catholic Answers web site; http://www.catholic.com/quickquestions/why-was-the-term-holy-ghost-replaced-by-holy-spirit